Honest John Guides

Best-selling cars in the UK 2025

British car buyers' appetite for SUVs continues in 2025 with eight of them making the Top 10 best-sellers list so far this year, headed overall by the Ford Puma.

Last year's best-selling car, the Ford Puma, has leapt back to the top of the sales charts in 2025 according to official figures supplied by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Although the Kia Sportage ran the Puma very close during 2024 and continued to have a fine first couple of months in 2025, strong 74-plate sales in March have seen the Puma re-emerge at the head of the pack. The Sportage grabbed second spot for the month but sales were more than 3000 cars behind the Ford's tally.

That eight of the 10 best-sellers so far in 2025 are SUVs should surprise nobody given how in-demand they've been for years. Buyers appreciate their high-rise seating positions and additional practicality — whether there's also a belief they're also more adept at dealing with the nation's pot-holed roads is worthy of an academic study.

For the first three months of 2025 580,502 cars were registered, representing a 6.4% increase over 2024's tally of 545,548 over the corresponding period. While this is positive news, how much buyer confidence exists in April due to market instability following Donald Trump's tariff increases remains to be seen.

Petrol-engined cars continue to dominate with 49.4% of 2025's sales, although the 286,787 total represents a 7.1% decline over 2024's equivalent figures.

Electric cars have a 20.7% market share so far in 2025 with 120,191 sales representing an enormous 42.6% increase compared with the same period in 2024. The chances of the UK maintaining its status as Europe's largest market for pure EVs looks promising.

Self-charging hybrids have captured a 14.8% slice of the market with 86,005 registrations — an 18.7% rise over the same months in 2024.

After pure EVs, the largest growth was with plug-in hybrids — these have enjoyed a 26.1% increase over 2024 so far, totting-up 53,686 registrations for a 9.2% stake of the market.

Diesel's decline continues in the UK, with a 10.2% fall in sales compared with 2024, taking just 5.8% of 2025's registrations so far. That still represents 33,833 cars making it worthwhile for those manufacturers which continue to offer diesel models.

Read on to find out more about 2025's best-selling UK cars — and how highly we rate them.

1. Ford Puma

14,930 registered

After a disappointing start to 2025's sales campaign, the Ford Puma seized the top spot in March with a very strong showing for the first full month of 74-plate sales. It's one of the very best cars on sale full stop, not just among small SUVs, so its popularity is understandable. The Ford Puma has a huge boot and excellent handling, making it practical and fun to drive, with its range of mild hybrid 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engines perfectly suiting the Puma's sportiness, while the comfortable cabin makes it great for urban jaunts and long motorway trips. It's also now available to order in fully electric guise as the Ford Puma Gen-E — will that model's introduction help it remain at the top for the rest of 2025?

Read our full Ford Puma review

2. Kia Sportage

12,866 registered

The current Kia Sportage is a distinctive looking, family-sized SUV — although, arguably less bold than the Hyundai Tucson it shares its underpinnings and engines with. It's no longer a budget buy, with a north of £30,000 starting price but you get masses of kit for your money, backed by Kia's seven-year warranty. Mild, self-charging and plug-in petrol hybrids are available but there's no diesel alternative these days. The Kia Sportage is on the brink of receiving a significant mid-life refresh — expect to see plenty of those facelifted models on the road later in 2025.

Read our full Kia Sportage review

3. Nissan Qashqai

11,792 registered

A mid-life makeover for the 2024's best-selling British-built car has reinvigorated the Nissan Qashqai, keeping it looking fresh-faced in the company of newer rivals. It's an effective family SUV with a comfortable, good quality interior peppered with practical touches and complemented by an enormous boot. There's no diesel option as the range consists of mild hybrids and the self-charging kind — the latter, badged e-Power, operates in a way that maximises its its electric drive potential, making it a cost-effective plug-in hybrid alternative. 

Read our full Nissan Qashqai review

4. Vauxhall Corsa

11,476 registered

Getting off to a strong start in 2025 is the Vauxhall Corsa, aided and abetted by very attractive deals on its Yes specification models. These have seen a surge of buyers tempted to go battery-powered as the Yes-grade versions of the Vauxhall Corsa Electric are great value for money. Despite many manufacturers abandoning the small hatchback market, many customers still want new models of similar dimensions to what they're trading in. With the Ford Fiesta now consigned to history, the Corsa could be picking up Blue Oval loyalists coming to the end of their PCP deals for a year or two yet. 

Read our full Vauxhall Corsa review

5. Volkswagen Golf

10,749 registered

Comfort, solidity and fine handling are long-standing Volkswagen Golf hallmarks, qualities amplified further thanks to its 2024 facelift, which introduced interior improvements that have largely banished our previous gripes about this VW. The biggest-selling non-SUV of 2024, the Golf's available with a wide range of petrol and diesel engines, in addition to mild and plug-in hybrid options, while the even roomier Volkswagen Golf Estate caters for those who need more space. Underneath, the Golf continues to share hardware with the better-value SEAT Leon and Skoda Octavia as well as the pricier Audi A3 and Cupra Leon.

Read our full Volkswagen Golf review

6. Nissan Juke

10,414 registered

Strong sales have seen the Nissan Juke cement its Top 10 ranking overall for 2025's year-to-date sales. Built alongside the Qashqai in the northeast of England, the Juke's styling remains distinctive but isn't as divisive as the original's, meaning its appeal's broader to the benefit of sales volumes. The Juke received a freshen-up in 2024 inside and out, although the engine range, shared with its Renault Captur cousin, remains essentially as before, with a choice of petrol and self-charging hybrids. Nissan has recently confirmed that an all-new electric-only Juke will go on sale during 2026.

Read our full Nissan Juke review

7. MG HS

9738 registered

MG HS

Following a positive jump in sales during March, the MG HS is continuing to win buyers over with its combination of excellent value for money and high levels of standard equipment since this all-new model appeared in summer 2024. Like its predecessor, it's available in petrol-only and fuel-sipping plug-in hybrid guises, appealing to those who don't yet feel ready to go full EV.  

Read our full MG HS review

8. Volkswagen Tiguan

9140 registered

British buyers have a long-standing fondness for the Volkswagen Tiguan which appears to have continued with this third-generation model. A strong start to 2025 has seen the VW vault into the top 10 for the year-to-date as the brand's second best-selling car, with only the Golf ahead of it. Spacious, well-equipped and built to a high standard, the Tiguan's a family friendly SUV that can prove inexpensive to run with a choice of efficient petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid drive systems. There are also some punchier performance-focused models although Volkswagen's stopped short of applying the GTI badge to the Tiguan's tailgate.

Read our full Volkswagen Tiguan review

9. MG ZS

9041 registered

MG ZS

This all-new MG ZS was the second SUV from the Chinese-owned brand to reach the UK during 2024, following hot on the heels of the larger MG HS. Available initially only with a self-charging hybrid system, the line-up was expanded in February 2025 with the arrival of a cheaper petrol-only alternative. It's a great value package but it will be interesting to see how MG ZS sales fare for the rest of 2025 now that the electric MG ZS EV has been replaced by the all-new MGS5 EV which will be counted separately in sales figures.

Read our full MG ZS review

10. Hyundai Tucson

8715 registered

Hyundai Tuscon

With a choice of hybridised engines that mirror those of its Kia Sportage close cousin, the Hyundai Tucson is the slightly pricier option. That fact, together with its styling which is arguably more of an acquired taste, has resulted in it not being as popular as the Kia-badged alternative, although appearing in the Top 10 of the UK car market's overall sales chart is self-evidently positive for business. Like many others in this ranking, the Tucson enjoyed a facelift and elevation in levels of standard equipment in 2024 — it's clearly a strategy that's appreciated by buyers of Hyundai's most popular model.

Read our full Hyundai Tuscon review

What were the UK's best-selling cars in March 2025?

Month-to-month sales often vary considerably from one another, just as they frequently do from the year-to-date picture. Compare March 2025's top 10 below with the registrations for the year-to-date above and you'll notice Hyundai Tuscon's absence:

  1. Ford Puma — 11132 registrations
  2. Kia Sportage — 7874 registrations
  3. Vauxhall Corsa — 6851 registrations
  4. Nissan Qashqai — 6844 registrations
  5. Nissan Juke — 6471 registrations
  6. Volkswagen Golf — 6447 registrations
  7. MG HS — 6337 registrations
  8. Ford Kuga — 5949 registrations
  9. MG ZS — 5907 registrations
  10. Volkswagen Tiguan — 5464 registrations

What were the UK's best-selling cars in February 2025?

Month-to-month sales often vary considerably from one another, just as they frequently do from the year-to-date picture. Compare February 2025's top 10 with the registrations for the year-to-date and you'll notice the differences with MINI and Tesla dropping off the list:

  1. MINI Cooper — 2074 registrations
  2. Tesla Model 3 — 1990 registrations
  3. Tesla Model Y — 1861 registrations
  4. Volkswagen Golf — 1688 registrations
  5. Volkswagen Tiguan — 1635 registrations
  6. Nissan Juke — 1623 registrations
  7. Nissan Qashqai — 1527 registrations
  8. Kia Sportage — 1516 registrations
  9. Volvo XC40 — 1485 registrations
  10. Ford Puma — 1466 registrations

What are the UK's best-selling cars in 2025?

Volkswagen has enjoyed an impressive start to 2025 with a significant gulf between its top-ranking sales tally and BMW in second place, which has a slender margin over Kia in third. Ford, which dominated the UK market for years is in fourth, just ahead of Peugeot.

There's less happy reading at the bottom of the chart for newcomers Skywell with just seven examples of its BE11 electric SUV registered so far in 2025:

Ranking Brand Manufacturing Group  2025 Registrations (to March)
1 Volkswagen Volkswagen Group 53,156
2 BMW BMW Group 35,559
3 Kia Hyundai Motor Company 35,063
4 Ford Ford Motor Company 34,703
5 Peugeot Stellantis 28,536
6 Nissan Nissan Motor Corporation* 27,855
7 Audi Volkswagen Group 27,806
8 Mercedes Mercedes-Benz Group 27,415
9 Vauxhall Stellantis 27,371
10 Toyota Toyota Motor Corporation 26,144
11 Hyundai Hyundai Motor Company 24,886
12 MG SAIC Motor Corporation 24,641
13 Skoda Volkswagen Group 22,572
14 Land Rover Tata Motors 21,145
15 Volvo Zhejiang Geely Holding Group 18,967
16 Renault Renault Group* 17,693
17 MINI BMW Group 13,049
18 Tesla Tesla Inc. 12,474
19 Mazda Mazda Motor Corporation^ 10,996
20 Cupra Volkswagen Group 10,032
21 BYD BYD Company 9,271
22 Dacia Renault Group* 9,261
23 Honda Honda Motor Co. 8,902
24 SEAT Volkswagen Group 6,953
25 Suzuki Suzuki Motor Corporation^ 5,925
26 Porsche Volkswagen Group 5,331
27 Lexus Toyota Motor Corporation 4,404
28 Citroen Stellantis 4,389
29 Jeep Stellantis 4,085
30 Fiat Stellantis 4,084
31 Polestar Zhejiang Geely Holding Group 3,695
32 Jaecoo Chery Automobile Co. 3,235
33 Omoda Chery Automobile Co. 3,194
34 Jaguar Tata Motors 1,725
35 Other British   1,192
36 Subaru Subaru Corporation^ 825
37 Alfa Romeo Stellantis 741
38 Other Imports   606
39 KGM KG Group 513
40 Smart Mercedes-Benz and Zhejiang Geely 487
41 Genesis Hyundai Motor Company 419
42 Bentley Volkswagen Group 291
43 DS Stellantis 198
44 Leapmotor Zhejiang Leapmotor# 193
45 Abarth Stellantis 134
46 Maserati Stellantis 102
47 GWM Great Wall Motor Company 86
48 Ineos Ineos Automotive 55
49 Alpine Renault Group* 42
50 XPeng Guangzhou Xiaopeng Motors 36
51 Maxus SAIC Motor Corporation 31
52 Chevrolet General Motors 27
53 Skywell Skyworth Group 7

*Strategic partnership within the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance

^Shareholding owned by the Toyota Motor Corporation

#Shareholding owned by Stellantis

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Over the past 50 years the variety of brands, models, shapes and sizes of cars to have been the UK's annual-best-seller is extraordinary. Which of these cars have played a part in your motoring history?

What is the UK's best-selling car of all time?

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