Best-selling cars 2025: the year's 10 most popular models
These are officially Britain’s biggest-selling new cars so far this year
To earn a spot as one of the UK’s best-selling cars, manufacturers have to appeal to a wide variety of buyers, combining practicality, efficiency and affordability into one package.
From SUVs and family hatchbacks, to small, dinky superminis, knowing which models are amongst the best-selling cars in 2025 can help indicate which manufacturers are at the top of their game and the ones you should consider when buying a new car.
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, with the Kia Sportage and Nissan Qashqai hot on its heels. 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 family hatchbacks.
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How is the new car market performing?
The new car market has been struggling over the past few months, and August 2025 continued this downward trend.
New car registrations fell by 2.0 per cent year-on-year, and a total of 82,908 cars hit the road last month. It's worth noting that August is typically the quietest month of the year for the new car market ahead of September’s number plate change.
Despite the general downturn in demand year-on-year, battery electric vehicle (BEV) registrations were up by 14.9 per cent compared to 2024, hitting a total market share of 26.5 per cent so far for 2025.
The rise in popularity for BEVs in August has been fuelled by attractive manufacturer discounts and the government incentives through the Electric Car Grant. This is still below the 28 per cent required by the Government’s ZEV mandate, however.
Petrol cars are still a firm favourite for UK buyers, accounting for a whopping 48.1 per cent of the overall market in August. Hybrids and plug-in hybrids took up a combined 24.4 per cent, while diesel cars languished at a mere 5.6 per cent. There’s still work to do, but there’s no denying the increasing popularity of fully electric cars.
Continuing the recent trend, almost 60 per cent of new car registrations were driven by the fleet market, attributed to the popularity of company car and salary sacrifice schemes. Private car sales grew marginally by 0.7 per cent, accounting for 38.4 per cent of the market, with the business sector taking up 2.2 per cent of new car buyers.
Top 10 best-selling cars 2025
Without further ado, here are the UK’s official best-selling cars of 2025 so far, according to data from the SMMT.
1. Ford Puma - 33,221
The Ford Puma was the UK’s best-selling car in both 2023 and 2024, and as things stand heading into the latter half of 2025, this small SUV is on course to turn this winning streak into a hat-trick, but a lot can happen between now and the end of the year.
It’s not difficult to see why the Ford Puma is one of the best-selling cars currently on sale. The Puma is one of the best cars to drive in its class, it’s good value for money, and a mid-life facelift and the roll-out of the fully electric Ford Puma Gen-E variant make this small car even more appealing. The Puma has its work cut out if it’s to retain its crown as fresh competitors are continuing to arrive at a steady pace.
2. Kia Sportage - 29,279
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 remains well within striking distance of the Ford Puma as things stand.
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 - 25,571
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 - 23,486
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 hybrid, or a fully-electric model), and prices start from just under £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 - 22,457
It’s been with us since 2019, but the second-generation Nissan Juke continues to be a steady seller for the Japanese brand.
A mid-life 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 - 20,016
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 and haptic buttons), 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 because the Golf remains a firm favourite with new-car buyers and a stalwart in the top-10 best-selling cars list.
7. Volkswagen Tiguan - 19,276
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.
The Volkswagen Tiguan is 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, with an all-electric range of up to 77 miles according to VW and low Benefit in Kind tax, should help keep running costs in check.
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8. MG HS - 18,931
MG is going from strength to strength in the UK and the new MG HS is further proof that cars that are well equipped, spacious, economical and good value for money are a winning formula with buyers.
The MG HS is available with a hybrid, plug-in hybrid or pure-petrol powertrain, and a competitive starting price of just over £26,000 helps it stand out in a crowded market. This mid-size 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.
9. Peugeot 2008 - 18,662
The compact crossover and small SUV class is one of the most hotly contested car segments, but the Peugeot 2008 is able to stand out against a smorgasbord of small SUVs thanks to its extravagant styling, well-built cabin and decent practicality.
The Peugeot 2008’s abilities are more than just skin-deep, too. Available with petrol, hybrid or electric powertrains, all versions of the 2008 are well-mannered and surprisingly refined as motorway cruisers. As standard you get all the in-car tech you’d expect from a small family car, but be aware that Peugeot’s quirky��i-Cockpit cabin layout won’t suit everyone, so make sure you’re thoroughly happy with it before you buy.
10. Hyundai Tucson - 18,382
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’s recent mid-life refresh has helped it keep 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’ 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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