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 Kia Sportage.

Last year's second best-selling car, the Kia Sportage, tops the charts in January 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. By contrast the Puma sank to seventh position while the Nissan Qashqai, another of 2024's strong sellers, clinched second place — just 55 sales behind the Sportage.

That eight of the 10 best-sellers for January 2025 were 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.

In January 2025 139,345 cars were registered, representing a 2.5% decrease over 2024's tally of 142,876 over the corresponding month. While this is a disappointing start for manufacturers and dealers January's storms, increased numbers of flu cases and concern about the economy following Donald Trump's second presidency commencing may well have been detrimental factors.

Petrol-engined cars continue to dominate with 50.3% of January 2025's sales, although the 70,075 total represents a sharp 15.3% decline over 2024's equivalent figures.

Electric cars had a 21.3% market share with 29,634 sales representing an enormous 41.6% increase compared with January 2024. The chances of the UK maintaining its status as Europe's largest market for pure EVs looks promising.

Self-charging hybrids captured a 13.2% slice of the market with 18,143 registrations — a 2.9% rise over  the same month in 2024.

After pure EVs, the largest growth was with plug-in hybrids — these enjoyed a 5.5% increase over January 2024, totting-up 12,598 registrations for a 9.0% stake of the market.

Diesel's decline continues in the UK, with a 7.7% fall in sales compared with 2024, taking just 6.2% of January 2025's registrations. That represents 8625 cars making it worthwhile for those manufacturers which continue to offer diesel modelss.

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

Best-selling UK cars so far in 2025

  1. Kia Sportage
  2. Nissan Qashqai
  3. Vauxhall Corsa
  4. Volkswagen Golf
  5. Peugeot 3008
  6. Peugeot 2008
  7. Ford Puma
  8. Nissan Juke
  9. MG HS
  10. MG ZS

 

1. Kia Sportage

3476 registered

The current Kia Sportage is a distinctive looking, family-sized SUV — arguably even bolder 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 the full Kia Sportage review

2. Nissan Qashqai

3421 registered

A mid-life facelift for the 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 the full Nissan Qashqai review

3. Vauxhall Corsa

3379 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 the full Vauxhall Corsa review

4. Volkswagen Golf

2614 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 highest-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 the full Volkswagen Golf review

5. Peugeot 3008

2567 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 the full Peugeot E-3008 review

6. Peugeot 2008

2478 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 the full Peugeot 2008 review

7. Ford Puma

2332 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 the full Ford Puma review

8. Nissan Juke

2320 registered

Built alongside the Qashqai in the northeast of England, the Nissan 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 or full-hybrid.

Read the full Nissan Juke review

9. MG HS

2148 registered

While 2024's sales figures comprised of both the original MG HS and this all-new one, January 2025's tally is all the Mk2 versions own work. Its available with a choice of petrol-only and petrol-electric plug-in hybrid drive systems but key to its sales success is the enticing combination of a spacious interior, high levels of standard equipment and keen pricing. MG's seven-year warranty offers a degree of reassurance that merely sweetens the deal.

Read the full MG HS review

10. MG ZS

2107 registered

With sales lagging just 41 cars behind its ninth-placed larger sibling, the MG ZS represents a positive start to 2025 for this historic brand which has enjoyed a resurgence under Chinese ownership in more recent years. The sales tally also represents two generations of car in this instance — while the petrol-electric self-charging hybrid-powered ZS was an all-new design in 2024, the fully electric MG ZS EV is still based on the last-generation model. Once again the core to its appeal is its fine value for money but there're many strings to the MG's bow besides that.

Read the full MG ZS review

What were the UK's December 2024 best-selling cars?

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 December 2024 and you'll notice that only 50% of them appear in both charts:

  1. Tesla Model Y — 5165 registrations
  2. Tesla Model 3 — 3477 registrations
  3. Nissan Qashqai — 3371 registrations
  4. MINI Cooper — 3245 registrations
  5. Ford Puma — 2802 registrations
  6. MG ZS — 2780 registrations
  7. Vauxhall Corsa — 2712 registrations
  8. Volvo XC40 — 2618 registrations
  9. Audi Q4 e-tron — 2019 registrations
  10. Nissan Juke — 1972 registrations

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?

With 4,132,294 sales to its name, the Ford Fiesta is the most popular car in the UK. Of course, that's the total number of cars badged Fiesta over seven generations across six different decades: