W

ith more than half the year’s data on UK new car registrations now available, we’re getting a good picture of the most popular new cars of 2025 — and as you might have guessed, compact SUVs are dominating sales.

In terms of what fuels them, petrol models still significantly outsell everything else, with 48.3 per cent of the market over the first seven months of the year, but electric cars continue their rise and have represented more than a fifth of new car sales over the same period.

EV sales need to accelerate to meet toughening quotas on the proportion of electric vehicles carmakers sell, with any brand that shifts more than 2,500 cars or commercial vehicles over the 12 months of 2025 required to ensure that 28 per cent of them are pure electric.

• Read more expert reviews, news and insights on cars and motoring