Best-selling cars 2025: the year's 10 most popular models
These are officially Britain’s biggest-selling new cars so far this year
May 2025 saw the UK new-car market return to growth following a disappointing April, with 150,070 newly registered cars hitting the road. This represents a growth of 1.6 per cent year-on-year, marking the best May performance since 2021.
Unfortunately, any celebrations will be short-lived because the majority of that growth has come from the fleet and business sector, partly due to the popularity of company cars and salary sacrifice schemes. The fleet and business sectors saw growth of 3.8 and 14.4 per cent respectively, while private new car demand fell for the second month in a row, declining by 2.3 per cent.
Electrified cars (BEVs, plug-in and hybrid models) are currently the best-performing fuel choices, resulting in a combined market share of 47.3 per cent, which is up by almost nine per cent compared with May 2024. On the other hand, the petrol and diesel market share dropped from 61.4 to 52.7 per cent.
So far this year, battery electric vehicle (BEV) registrations have risen by 33.4 per cent over the same period in 2024, pushing the overall market share this year to 20.9 per cent. However, this is still well below the 28 per cent required by the ZEV mandate, with BEV market share in May at 21.8 per cent.
Petrol cars are still a firm favourite for UK buyers, though, accounting for a whopping 47.5 per cent of the overall market last month. Hybrids and plug-in hybrids took up a combined 25.5 per cent, while diesels languished at a mere 5.5 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, the best-selling models so far in 2025 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 in the Top 10, though, with the Vauxhall Corsa and Volkswagen Golf continuing to carry the torch for small cars and hatchbacks.
1. Ford Puma - 21,936
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 roll-out of the fully electric Puma Gen-E variant. The Puma was slow out of the gates at the start of 2025, but as things stand, Ford is on track to turn this winning streak into a hat-trick. The Ford Puma is 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 - 19,636
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 and giving the Ford Puma a good run for its money so far this 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 - 17,077
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 lots of buyers.
4. Vauxhall Corsa - 16,545
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 remains one of the most recognisable names in the supermini market. The latest generation offers loads of choice when it comes to trim, kit and powertrains (you can even have a fully electric model), and prices start from around £19,000. This small car is unlikely to beat the SUVs to become 2025’s best-seller, but it’s still an undeniably strong performer and one of the best superminis money can buy.
5. Nissan Juke - 15,249
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 as bold as ever. It would seem that this is enough to keep the Juke in this year’s best-seller charts for the time being.
6. Volkswagen Golf - 14,198
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 favourite with new-car buyers.
7. MG ZS - 12,918
MG is going from strength to strength in the UK and the new MG ZS is further proof that cars that are well equipped, spacious, economical and good value for money are a winning formula with buyers. The ZS is available with a hybrid or pure-petrol powertrain, and a competitive starting price of under £20,000 helps it stand out in a crowded market. This compact SUV also comes with a generous amount of kit as standard and is a straightforward family car with a long seven-year/80,000-mile warranty.
8. Volkswagen Tiguan - 12,634
Many people appreciate a no-nonsense approach, and the Volkswagen Tiguan is a pretty solid all-rounder that’s good at ticking many 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, which should help keep running costs in check.
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9. Volvo XC40 - 12,606
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 full suite of safety kit and a healthy dose of family-friendly practicality is helping to keep this ageing Volvo close to the competition (at least for now).
10. MG HS - 12,548
The MG HS was a common sight in this top-10 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 kit as standard, lots of usable space and, most importantly, good 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.
Sales vs registrations: inside the numbers
There’s an important distinction to be made where the UK’s monthly and annual ‘car sales’ figures 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 figures could be pre-registered, and estimates of how many range between 10 and 20 per cent.
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