Welsh car dealers suffered the biggest drop in new car registrations across Britain.
Latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturer and Traders showed a 17.62% fall in registrations in Wales, down to 2,483 new cars in August.
Nationally, the decline was 2.0% in August to a total of 82,908 units on the eve of the new plate appearing.
Wales top ten
Ford Puma
MG HS
Peugeot 2008
Kia Sportage
Jaecoo 7
Nissan Qashqai
Kia Picanto
Nissan Juke
Ford Kuga
Vauxhall Corsa
Model choice, ongoing manufacturer discounts and some limited initial impact from the newly announced Electric Car Grant helped drive battery electric car share to 26.5%, the highest recorded in 2025, replicating previous performances a this time of year.
September – usually the second biggest month of the year after March is critical for delivering BEV growth as new Electric Car Grant takes effect, with YTD market share at 21.9%, and it is hoped to offset August’s poor showing.
Fleet uptake dominated the month, accounting for 59.1% of all new vehicles reaching the road despite a -4.6% reduction in volumes. Uptake by private buyers grew by a marginal 0.7% while the business sector rose 41.6%, although this equated to fewer than 500 additional units.
The zero emission transition, fuelled by manufacturer investment in model choice, hefty discounting, and a new fiscal incentive from government, drove battery electric vehicle registrations up by 14.9% to reach a market share of 26.5% – the highest this year and the fourth highest on record.
This replicates the pattern in 2023 and 2024, where August’s low overall registration volumes and high fleet concentration resulted in significantly larger BEV shares than those recorded across the rest of the year.
BEV growth was only outpaced by plug-in hybrid vehicle uptake, which rose by 69.4% to deliver an 11.8% market share. Hybrid electric vehicle uptake, meanwhile, fell by -13.9% to account for 11.4% of the market.
In the first eight months, the new car market is up 2.1% to a five-year peak of 1.265 million – although it still remains -16.7% down on pre-pandemic levels, with BEV share comprising 21.9%, below 2025’s nominal zero emission vehicle mandate target of 28%.
As that target approaches and ‘new number plate’ September, usually the second busiest month of the year, gets underway, accelerating EV uptake remains critical. Around a quarter of BEV models are now eligible for the Electric Car Grant, which has the potential to increase demand over the coming months. Combined with action to accelerate affordable, reliable and convenient charging solutions, the year-to-date market share of EVs should increase as the industry strives to deliver on government ambition.
August top ten in UK
