New car market rises 24.0% in April as market recovers from last year’s negative tax change impact.

Two millionth electric car registered, with robust 26.2% market share during low-volume month.

2026 outlook upgraded to 2.093m registrations overall, but ZEV share revised down to 26.8% after underperforming Q1 demand.

Data download

The UK new car market grew by 24.0% to reach 149,247 registrations last month, according to the latest figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

The increase reflects a rebound from an unusually weak April last year, when buyers pulled purchases forward to March to beat incoming vehicle tax increases, including the application of VED and the Expensive Car Supplement (ECS) on battery electric vehicles (BEVs).…