Electric cars drive October sales growth as petrol demand declines... - The Car Expert
By Google News Motors ·
New car sales rose by 5% in October, with electric and plug-in hybrid cars accounting for almost half of all registrations. The UK new car market recorded its eleventh consecutive month of growth in October, although the increase was more modest than in recent months. According to data published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), 152,730 new cars were registered during October, an increase of 5% compared with the same month last year. That follows a particularly strong September, when registrations reached their highest level for nine years. Growth was recorded across all sales types, with fleet registrations up 5% and private registrations increasing by 4%. Fleets continued to account for the majority of new cars, taking almost 59% of the market. Business registrations increased by 25%, although they represent just 3% of overall sales. The new car market is now running almost 10% ahead of last year, with 1.89 million cars registered across the first ten months of 2026. Private registrations have grown by 12% year to date, compared with an 8% increase for fleets. Source: SMMT EVs and plug-in hybrids account for all market growth. As has been the case for much of 2026, electric and plug-in hybrid cars were responsible for the market’s growth in October. Registrations of petrol, diesel and regular hybrid cars all declined compared with the same month last year. Almost 49,000 electric cars were registered during October, representing a 33% increase on last year. That gave EVs a 32% share of the overall market – their highest monthly share so far this year. Plug-in hybrids also performed strongly, with registrations rising by 30% to almost 23,000 cars. They accounted for another 15% of the market, meaning that cars with plugs represented 47% of all…
Originally published by Google News Motors
