Jaecoo 7 OUTSELLS Nissan Qashqai and VW Tiguan as October’s new car sales hold steady

New car registrations in October held steady with a 0.5% increase, BEV registrations rose, and Chinese cars made an impact.

When we reported new car sales/ registrations for September, we noted that a Chinese car – the Jaecoo 7 – had managed to grab a spot in the top ten monthly sales chart for the first time with fourth place.

We did wonder if that was a one-off, but it’s not, as the Jaecoo 7 is back in the charts for October in sixth place, outselling perennial favourites the Nissan Qashqai and VW Tiguan.  Which might seem a slip, but it was only 43 units off taking third place behind the Ford Puma and Kia Sportage.

Away from the Chinese invasion, numbers held steady with just a 0.5% increase on last year, with fleet sales down 1.5% and private numbers up 2.0%.

Electrified numbers continue to grow, with BEVs up by 23.6% for a 25.4% market share, PHEVs up by 27.2% for a 12.1% share and HEVs up by 2.1% for a 13.3% share.

With electrified numbers up, ICE cars continue to drop, with petrol down 11.6% for a 44.4% share and diesel down 22.9% for a 4.8% share. However, combined ICE sales still account for around half of all sales.

On another, but related, subject, the SMMT is again cautioning against next year’s planned scrapping of the Employee Car Ownership Schemes (ECOS), which is responsible for around 5% of new car registrations, saying the plan will cost the industry £1 billion in lost revenue and put 5,000 jobs at risk. 

Mike Hawes, SMMT CEO, said:

The government has backed the UK automotive sector with EV incentives and global trade deals, helping drive growth and encourage decarbonisation. But scrapping ECOS would undermine that progress – penalising workers, reducing Exchequer income and putting green investment at risk. At a time when the Budget should fuel growth, the measure will do the exact opposite. It is time for a rethink.