Best-selling cars 2025: the year's 10 most popular models
These are officially Britain’s biggest-selling new cars so far this year
Following on from the excitement of new number plates arriving in March, car makers always expect April to be a much quieter month in terms of new-car registrations. April 2025 was no exception to this rule, either, as the UK’s new car market declined by 10.4 per cent year-on-year.
A total of 120,331 new cars were registered during the month, and this notable drop is being blamed at least partly on economical uncertainty and changes to VED road tax, with EVs now facing the yearly charges just like combustion cars. These changes could also go some way towards explaining electric cars’ market share still falling short of the Government’s ZEV Mandate target of 28 per cent. However, BEV registrations so far this year have risen by 35.2 per cent over the same period in 2024, pushing their overall market share to 20.7 per cent.
Petrol cars are still a firm favourite for UK buyers, though, accounting for a whopping 49.3 per cent of the overall market last month. Hybrids and plug-in hybrids accounted for a combined 24.3 per cent, while diesels languished at a mere 5.7 per cent. There’s still work to do, but there’s little denying the increasing popularity of fully electric cars.
If you’ve been paying attention to this list over recent months and years, 2025’s best-selling models won’t come as much of a surprise. The Ford Puma finds itself in first place yet again, closely followed by the Kia Sportage and Nissan Qashqai. It’s not a complete SUV-fest, though, with the Vauxhall Corsa and Volkswagen Golf continuing to carry the torch for small cars.
1. Ford Puma - 18,241
The Ford Puma was the UK’s best-selling car in both 2023 and 2024, and this small SUV is showing very few signs of slowing down after a mid-life facelift and the fully electric Puma Gen-E variant have been rolled out. After a slower start to 2025, Ford is currently on track to turn this winning streak into a hat-trick. The Puma is still one of the best cars to drive in its class, and it offers pretty good value for money. However, fresh competitors are continuing to arrive at a steady pace.
2. Kia Sportage - 16,380
The Kia Sportage was a frequent sight in the 2024 best-seller rankings, but it couldn’t quite manage to reach the top of the chart. Things are looking much more promising for this mid-size SUV in 2025, with the Sportage having topped the charts for the first two months of the year. The latest Sportage offers space, tech and comfort in droves, so it’s pretty easy to see why it continues to prove very popular with buyers. That seven-year/100,000-mile warranty is as attractive as ever, too.
3. Nissan Qashqai - 13,989
It’s been 18 years since the original Nissan Qashqai first arrived on our streets, and over this time the car has grown into a household name for plenty of drivers. The latest model is a much bolder offering than its predecessors when it comes to styling, but there’s still an overall sense of familiarity where it matters. While it isn’t quite the top dog in the fiercely competitive mid-size SUV market, the Qashqai clearly still offers enough to appeal to plenty of prospective buyers.
4. Vauxhall Corsa - 13,852
Plenty of UK drivers have experienced at least one generation of Vauxhall Corsa in their lifetime, whether as a passenger, driver or even a learner. Following the demise of the Ford Fiesta, the Corsa is one of the most recognisable names in the supermini market. The latest generation offers plenty of choice when it comes to trim, kit and powertrains (you can even have a fully electric model), and prices start from around £18,000. This supermini is yet to beat the SUVs to become 2025’s best-seller, but it’s still an undeniably strong performer.
5. Nissan Juke - 12,373
It’s been with us since 2019, but the second-generation Nissan Juke continues to be a steady seller for the Japanese brand. A facelift in 2024 has helped this ageing SUV to keep up with its rivals, and its looks are still as bold as ever. It would seem that this is enough to keep the Juke in this year’s best-seller charts in for the time being.
6. Volkswagen Golf - 12,348
Whether you want a family car, hot hatchback or even an estate car, there’s a Volkswagen Golf to suit your needs. While the eighth-generation model initially got off to a troublesome start (largely thanks to some irritating tech), the revised Mk8.5 version has set out to right some of these wrongs. And it would appear that Volkswagen's efforts have paid off, too, because the Golf remains a firm British favourite.
7. MG HS - 11,016
The MG HS was a common sight on this list in 2024, and 2025 isn’t looking too shabby for this budget SUV, either. The HS received an update midway through last year, but the second-generation car follows the same ethos as its predecessor: generous levels of in-car kit as standard, lots of usable space and, most importantly, value for money. Opt for the fuel-sipping plug-in hybrid HS and you’ll be able to drive up to 75 miles on pure-electric power.
8. Volkswagen Tiguan - 10,664
Many people appreciate a no-nonsense approach, and the Volkswagen Tiguan is pretty good at ticking all of the essential boxes. It’s practical, well built, efficient and feels a bit more premium inside than it actually is. Company car drivers are best catered for by the plug-in hybrid model, although we found this powertrain’s power delivery to be a bit jerky. Other than that, though, the Tiguan is a pretty solid all-rounder.
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9. Volvo XC40 - 10,612
It’s no longer the youngest member of the Swedish brand’s line-up, but the Volvo XC40 is clearly still a winner in terms of pure buyer appeal. This upmarket small SUV faces no shortage of competitors, but the combination of ride and interior comfort, a suite of safety kit and a healthy dose of family-friendly practicality is clearly helping to keep this ageing Volvo near the head of the pack (at least for now).
10. Hyundai Tucson - 10,496
The Hyundai Tucson is a serial winner at the Auto Express New Car Awards and it appears to have impressed plenty of buyers so far in 2025 as well. Not only does it have striking looks, intuitive on-board tech and a premium-feeling cabin which wouldn’t be out of place on more expensive and high-end models, the Tuscon also recently had a mid-life refresh to help keep it up to speed with its rivals.
Sales vs registrations: inside the numbers
There’s an important distinction to be made where the UK’s monthly and annual ‘car sales’ numbers are concerned. Namely, that they don’t actually count the number of cars sold in the sense that many people might expect. The numbers provided by the SMMT are for car ‘registrations’ rather than being sales figures.
When customers buy a new car, it is registered before it can be driven on the road, but cars are also registered by manufacturers and dealers before they have a customer to go to. This practice of processing pre-registered cars is done for various reasons, but often the goal is to move stock through the supply chain, avoiding bottlenecks or to hit targets. It means that a significant proportion of the cars in the ‘sales’ figures could be pre-registered, and estimates of how many range between 10 and 20 per cent.
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