UK Electric Car Registrations Surge 54% in October, Overtaking Petrol and Hybrid Models

London: Registrations of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in the United Kingdom grew by roughly 54% in October compared with a year earlier, overtaking both hybrid and petrol models and capturing nearly a third of the new-car market, industry data showed on Wednesday.

According to New Automotive, 49,155 new BEVs were registered in the UK in October 2026, accounting for 31.8% of all new-car registrations. Total new-car registrations rose 26.9% during the month to 154,407 units.

“Almost one in three new cars sold in October was fully electric, more than any other fuel type, and electric car sales are up by more than half on last year,” said Ben Nelmes, Chief Executive of the car-industry lobby group New Automotive.

Tesla continued to lead the UK electric vehicle market so far this year, with registrations up 25.4% from a year earlier and a market share of 9.53%.

South Korea’s Kia and China’s BYD remained locked in competition for second place, holding market shares of 6.9% and 6.8%, respectively.