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EVs Take a Quarter of UK October Car Sales as Market Ticks Up

Industry leaders warn proposed changes to Employee Car Ownership Schemes could stall progress under the ZEV mandate.

Overview

  • SMMT data show 144,948 registrations in October, up 0.5% year on year, with battery-electric cars at 25.4% share and electrified models reaching 50.8% of sales.
  • The industry outlook now points to 2.012 million total registrations in 2025, with BEVs forecast at 23.3% for the year under ZEV targets that start at 28% for 2025 and rise sharply to 2035.
  • SMMT says taxing Employee Car Ownership Schemes would likely close them, removing roughly 100,000 vehicles a year from the market and risking a setback to EV adoption.
  • Competitive dynamics shifted as Tesla logged just 511 UK registrations—its weakest month of 2025—while BYD, Ford and Renault posted strong EV gains and the Jaecoo 7 ranked sixth overall.
  • Fuel-type patterns continued to pivot, with petrol’s share falling to 44.4% on an 11.6% decline as PHEVs rose 27.2% to 12.1% share and HEVs edged up to 13.3%, aided by the Electric Car Grant.