New car sales DOWN in November as EV growth slows - Ford Puma the Best-Seller

New car sales were down in November 2025 by 1.8%, with the growth of sales of EV slowing to its lowest level in two years.

November 2025 saw new car registrations drop by 1.6% according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the sixth fall this year due to weaker demand from private buyers, which has gone down by 5.5%, offset to a degree by a small 1.2% increase in demand from Fleet buyers.

On the face of it, demand for EVs did well, with an increased market share of 26.4%, but that was just a small improvement on last year’s 25.1% share. It represents the slowest EV growth for two years.

The blame for the slowing of EV growth is laid at the door of speculation that November’s budget would introduce pay-per-mile charges for EVs. Which it did, although it won’t actually happen for a couple of years

‘Electrified’ cars fared reasonably well with PHEV sales up by 14.8% for a market share of almost 15%, with Hybrids showing a small 1.3% increase for a 13% market share. Combined, electrified cars – EV, PHEV and Hybrids – account for 51.4% of all registrations, with petrol-engined cars making 43.8% of the market and diesels just 4.7%.

Mike Hawes, SMMT CEO, said:

Even in a fragile market, zero-emission vehicle uptake continues to rise, which is exactly what we need. But the weakest growth for almost two years – ahead of the government announcing a new tax on EVs – should be seen as a wake-up call that a sustained increase in demand for EVs cannot be taken for granted.

It’s notable that not a single pure electric car made it into the top ten best sellers in November, although the best seller was the For Puma, which does have an EV option.