UK car production DOWN 23.8% in October as Jaguar Land Rover recovers from Cyber attack

UK car production in the UK fell by 23.8% in October 2025 as Jaguar Land Rover production was limited by a cyberattack.

September’s car production in the UK was severely impacted by the complete shutdown of production by Jaguar Land Rover in the wake of a cyber attack, with numbers down by 27.1%.

But with a phased production at JLR starting at the beginning of October – and full production back online by mid-October – you might have expected October’s figures to be much improved.

The reality is different, with car production down in October by 23.8% to just 59,010 – 18,474 fewer than in 2024 – and if you factor in CV production, the fall was 30.9%.

As we’ve come to expect, production of electrified cars (BEV, PHEV and Hybrid) rose by 10.4% to 27,287, although the majority of those were probably PHEVs and Hybrids.

Production for the UK market fell by 10.6% and for export by 27.1%, with exports accounting for more than three-quarters of all production.

Despite the gloom, the SMMT is bullish about production in 2026, helped by the new £1.3billion top-up for the ECG and raisng of the expensive car supplement threshold, although the pay-per-mile plans for EVs and PHEVs will probably have a negative impact.

Mike Hawes, SMMT CEO, said:

Another difficult month for UK vehicle production as the impact of the earlier cyber attack continued to be felt. Growth is on the horizon, however, and Government has recognised the automotive industry as a pillar of national strategic importance, backing it with an industrial strategy and additional £1.5 billion to drive manufacturing competitiveness. Investment competitiveness also depends on a healthy domestic market, however, notably for EVs, and introducing a new electric Vehicle Excise Duty is the wrong measure at the wrong time. This new tax will undermine demand, so government must work with industry to reduce the cost of compliance and protect the UK’s investment appeal.