Honest John Guides

Best-selling cars in the UK 2025

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

Last year's second best-selling car, the Kia Sportage, continues to top the charts in 2025 according to official figures supplied by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Although Kia Sportage ran the Ford Puma very close during 2024 it's had a great start to the new year in spite of the fact it's due to receive significant facelift in the spring. This could explain why in February 2025 the Sportage had dipped to eighth place for the month. By contrast the Puma has sunk to nineth position for the year-to-date while the Nissan Qashqai, another of 2024's strong sellers, is second — just 44 sales behind the Sportage.

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

For the first two months of 2025 223,399 cars were registered, representing a 1.9% decrease over 2024's tally of 227,762 over the corresponding period. While this is a disappointing start for manufacturers and dealers, the deficit narrowed compared with January and concerns about the economy following Donald Trump's second presidency commencing may well have been detrimental factors.

Petrol-engined cars continue to dominate with 49.2% of 2025's sales, although the 109,940 total represents a sharp 16.1% decline over 2024's equivalent figures.

Electric cars have a 22.8% market share so far in 2025 with 50,878 sales representing an enormous 41.6% 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 13.4% slice of the market with 29,844 registrations — a 4.8% rise over the same months in 2024.

After pure EVs, the largest growth was with plug-in hybrids — these enjoy a 10.1% increase over 2024 so far, totting-up 19,871 registrations for a 8.9% stake of the market.

Diesel's decline continues in the UK, with a 10.3% fall in sales compared with 2024, taking just 5.8% of 2025's registrations so far. That still represents 12,866 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. Kia Sportage

4992 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 near-£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 them on the road during 2025.

Read our full Kia Sportage review

2. Nissan Qashqai

4948 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 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 battery power, making it a cost-effective plug-in hybrid alternative. 

Read our full Nissan Qashqai review

3. Vauxhall Corsa

4625 registered

Getting off to a strong start in 2025 is the Vauxhall Corsa, aided and abetted by very attractive deals on its Yes limited edition models. These have seen a surge of buyers tempted to go battery-powered as those Yes specification versions of the Vauxhall Corsa Electric are great value for money. Despite many manufacturers abandoning the small hatchback market, many customers still want a new model of similar dimensions — 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

4. Volkswagen Golf

4302 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 with the 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

5. Nissan Juke

3943 registered

Strong February sales have seen the Nissan Juke jump from eighth to fifth 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.

Read our full Nissan Juke review

6. Peugeot 3008

3851 registered

Gone is the old Peugeot 3008's angular and upright styling giving way to this new generation's svelte lines. It's still a family-sized SUV but there's more than a hint of coupe-like slinkiness to its rear end. Launched during 2024. this latest iteration of the Peugeot 3008 has a roomy, plush-feeling interior and an efficient array of drive systems. In addition to petrol-electric mild and plug-in hybrid choices, there are two power outut and battery sizes available for the fully electric E-3008 versions, with a driving range of up to 560 miles. 

Read our full Peugeot E-3008 review

7. Peugeot 2008

3826 registered

Despite looking very different and being much larger, the Peugeot 2008 SUV shares much beneath its bodywork with the third placed Corsa as both are part of the Stellantis manufacturing group. This means the Peugeot — another of these best-sellers which enjoyed a facelift in 2024 — can be had with the same petrol-only, mild hybrid and fully electric drive systems as found in the Vauxhall. There are now two choices of motor power for the electric Peugeot E-2008, the punchier one benefitting from a larger capacity battery for a driving range of up to 363 miles. Sharp looking, modestly sized and inexpensive to run, it's easy to see the Peugeot 2008's appeal.

Read our full Peugeot 2008 review

8. MINI Cooper

3802 registered

Jumping into eighth place for the year after topping February 2025's sales is the latest MINI Cooper range — or, more accurately, ranges because of the way the SMMT tallies sales figures. So, as well as the three- and five-door petrol-engined Cooper hatchbacks, the total also includes the facelifted MINI Cooper Convertible as well as the MINI Cooper Electric hatchback that that's underpinned by a completely different platform. What they do all share are similarly cheeky styling that can't be mistaken for anything else, amplified by a sense of fun behind the wheel, regardless of the version being driven.

Read our full MINI Cooper review

9. Ford Puma

3798 registered

Quite the tumble down the rankings for for 2024's best-seller and one of the best cars on sale full stop, not just one of the top small SUVs. 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. Can it claw its way back to the top spot as deliveries of the electric Ford Puma Gen-E commence during 2025?

Read our full Ford Puma review

10. Volkswagen Tiguan

3676 registered

British buyers have a long-standing fondness for the Volkswagen Tiguan which appears to have continued with this third-generation model. A strong fifth place for February 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

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 above and you'll notice how poorly the two best-sellers performed relatively for the month:

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

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

  1. Kia Sportage — 3476 registrations
  2. Nissan Qashqai — 3421 registrations
  3. Vauxhall Corsa — 3379 registrations
  4. Volkswagen Golf — 2614 registrations
  5. Peugeot 3008 — 2567 registrations
  6. Peugeot 2008 — 2478 registrations
  7. Ford Puma — 2332 regsitrations
  8. Nissan Juke — 2320 registrations
  9. MG HS — 2148 registrations
  10. MG ZS — 2107 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 Kia in second place. BMW has a small cushion ahead of Peugeot in third, while strong sales for the Juke and Qashqai have netted Nissan fifth spot.

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

Ranking Brand Manufacturing Group  2025 Registrations (to February)
1 Volkswagen Volkswagen Group 21,594
2 Kia Hyundai Motor Company 15,070
3 BMW BMW Group 13,989
4 Peugeot Stellantis 12,360
5 Nissan Nissan Motor Corporation* 11,077
6 Ford Ford Motor Company 11,069
7 Vauxhall Stellantis 10,973
8 Hyundai Hyundai Motor Company 10,443
9 Audi Volkswagen Group 10,293
10 Mercedes Mercedes-Benz Group 9,751
11 Skoda Volkswagen Group 8,963
12 MG SAIC Motor Corporation 8,765
13 Toyota Toyota Motor Corporation 7,628
14 Volvo Zhejiang Geely Holding Group 7,069
15 Land Rover Tata Motors 6,967
16 MINI BMW Group 6,963
17 Renault Renault Group 6,621
18 Tesla Tesla Inc. 5,310
19 Mazda Mazda Motor Corporation^ 4,107
20 Cupra Volkswagen Group 3,850
21 Dacia Renault Group 3,290
22 Honda Honda Motor Co. 3,051
23 SEAT Volkswagen Group 2,915
24 BYD BYD Company 2,791
25 Suzuki Suzuki Motor Corporation^ 2,538
26 Citroen Stellantis 2,139
27 Fiat Stellantis 2,034
28 Porsche Volkswagen Group 1,794
29 Lexus Toyota Motor Corporation 1,660
30 Jeep Stellantis 1,517
31 Jaecoo Chery Automobile Co. 1,449
32 Polestar Zhejiang Geely Holding Group 1,261
33 Omoda Chery Automobile Co. 1,112
34 Jaguar Tata Motors 989
35 Other British   602
36 Genesis Hyundai Motor Company 205
37 Subaru Subaru Corporation^ 198
38 Other Imports   168
39 KGM KG Group 146
40 Alfa Romeo Stellantis 125
41 DS Stellantis 123
42 Bentley Volkswagen Group 119
43 Smart Mercedes-Benz Group and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group 102
44 GWM Great Wall Motor Company 57
45 Abarth Stellantis 45
46 Maserati Stellantis 37
47 Maxus SAIC Motor Corporation 21
47 Chevrolet General Motors 17
49 Alpine Renault Group 16
50 Ineos Ineos Automotive 15
51 Skywell Skyworth Group 1

*Strategic partnership within the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance

^Shareholding owned by the Toyota Motor Corporation

What are the UK's best-selling cars over the last 50 years?

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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