New car registrations UP in January - Top seller Kia Sportage followed by Jaecoo 7

New car registrations in the UK were up by 3.4% in January, but EV registrations stagnated and lost market share.

Latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show new car registrations rose in January 2026 by 3.4%, the best start to the year since pre-Covid 2020, with 144,127 units.

Sales growth was recorded for all buyer types, with Fleet sales up 1.6%, accounting for 61.2% of the market, Private sales up by 4.5% and business sales (a very small category) up by 46.5%.

Despite the decent 3.4% growth in sales overall, EVs had a poor month with a rise of just 0.1% (just 20 cars) and a reduced market share of just 20.6%, massively shy of this year’s mandates 33% share. The SMMT blames the poor EV performance on last January’s strong performance and December’s strong sales.

Away from pure EVs, electrified cars fared much better, with PHEV numbers up by 47.3% for a 12.9% share and Hybrids with a 4.8% increase for a 13.4% share. Pure ICE numbers continue to fall, although petrol cars still accounted for 47.7% of the market. Diesel cars now have just a 5.5% share.

Mike Hawes, SMMT CEO, said:

Britain’s new car market is building back momentum after a challenging start to the decade. It is also decarbonising more rapidly than ever and, despite a January dip in EV market share, the signs point to growth by the end of the year.

When it comes to the best-selling cars in January, the Kia Sportage leads the way, but, in a clear sign that China will end up dominating new car sales before long, the Jacoo 7 was the second best-seller, the BYD Seal U at number 6 and the MG HS at number 10.