Which new entrant is winning over the UK’s EV market?
20 November 2025
The UK’s electric vehicle (EV) market is under pressure to perform in 2025. But how are new entrants and the introduction of the Electric Car Grant (ECG) helping to drive sales? Autovista24 special content editor Phil Curry examines the data.
The UK’s EV market, made up of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), is continuing to grow. Sales have benefited from new entrants and the reintroduction of incentives.
In total, 522,489 EVs were sold in the country nine months into 2025, according to the latest data from EV Volumes. This equated to a 32.2% increase year on year. Of the two powertrain technologies, BEVs were more popular, accounting for 66.9% of all plug-in deliveries in the UK.
With 349,704 deliveries between January and September, the BEV market increased by 29.6% compared to the same period of 2024. Meanwhile, the PHEV sector recorded 172,785 sales, signalling a 37.7% improvement.
BEVs are under pressure to perform in the UK at present. The zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate requires 28% of a carmaker’s deliveries to be either BEV or hydrogen fuel-cell models. SMMT data revealed that BEVs only made up 22.1% of the UK’s entire new-car market three quarters into 2025.
BYD leads new entrant boost
Over the last few years, the UK has become an attractive prospect for new entrants to the European automotive market. Many of these brands are subject to EU import tariffs, with a focus on BEVs built in China.
Of these new entrants, the most impressive performance came from BYD. Between January and September 2025, it sold the third-largest number of EVs in the UK, reaching 35,474 units. This was up 574.4% compared to the same period in 2024.
The marque has been helped by its popularity in the plug-in hybrid market. Over the first three quarters of the year, the UK’s best-selling PHEV was the BYD Seal U, with 16,129 deliveries. It accounted for 9.3% of all PHEVs sold, leaving the industry stalwart, the VW Tiguan, in second.
The rest of the carmaker’s tally came from the BEV market. While not placing in the annual top 10 chart after three quarters of the year, BYD did make inroads with the Sea Lion 7 in September. It was the sixth best-selling BEV in the month, moving 2,019 units. This was impressive for a model that only started deliveries in January, ending the month with a 2.8% market share.
Jaecoo impresses as another new entrant
Another impressive new entrant is Jaecoo. It only offered one model in the UK across the first nine months of 2025: the J7 PHEV. With deliveries first recorded in March 2025, it took third in the annual PHEV top 10 with 12,463 units. This puts it just 110 units behind the VW Tiguan, meaning it could end the year as the second-best-selling PHEV.
September was the model’s best month on the market, with 4,855 deliveries, allowing it to take second. This meant the Jaecoo J7 held 12.6% of the PHEV market in the month. Alongside the BYD Seal U, it was one of two models to achieve a double-digit market share in September.
However, Jaecoo’s reliance on one model over three quarters of 2025 did impact its position in the brand ranking. In September, the carmaker placed ninth. Yet this position could be boosted by the introduction of the Jaecoo 5 later this year.
Jaecoo’s sister brand, Omoda, saw 6,154 sales between January and September, placing it 23rd in the brand chart. The carmaker has not fully focused on the EV market, with its Omoda 5 model offered with BEV or petrol powertrains.
There are also other new entrants to the UK market that are still expanding their operations. These include Leapmotor, Chery, Xpeng and Geely. More brands mean more choice for consumers, something that can help spur the EV market forward.
Incentivising the market
In July 2025, the UK government announced the introduction of the Electric Car Grant. This incentive scheme sees up to £3,750 offered against the list price of a new BEV.
This plan includes two tiers, with manufacturers required to nominate their passenger cars and light-commercial vehicles to be eligible. Models will either qualify for a discount of £3,750 (€4,299) or £1,500.
The grant level is based on strict sustainability criteria. This includes the level of CO2 emitted during the production process, supply-chain emissions, and the use of renewable energy sources.
Battery production emissions account for 70% of the criteria targets, with vehicle assembly emissions weighted at 30%, the RAC reports. The carbon intensity of the electricity grids where production takes place is also considered. Additionally, only BEVs with a list price of under £37,000 will be eligible.
Currently, only three vehicles qualify for the maximum discount. These are the Ford Puma Gen-e, the Ford E-Tourneo Courrier, and the Citroën ë-C5 Aircross Long Range. Both Ford models were added to the list at the end of August, while the Citroën became eligible at the beginning of November. There are a further 38 models in the second tier, eligible for a £1,500 discount.
Is the Electric Car Grant working?
At first glance, it appears the ECG has had little impact on the UK’s BEV market. In September, the two best-selling models were the Tesla Model Y, with 4,273 units, and the Tesla Model 3, with 3,720 deliveries. The former lost volume compared to 2024, by 26.3%. However, the Model 3 jumped by 100.5% year on year.
Yet the Ford Puma Gen-e was the third-best-selling BEV in September. This was the first full month of the model’s eligibility for the ECG discount. Having gone on sale in April 2025, the Puma Gen-e did not achieve more than 635 deliveries until September. On reaching this month, it achieved a volume of 3,144 units.
The UK often sees a bounce in passenger car sales in September due to the plate-change effect. However, the Puma Gen-e achieved a month-on-month improvement of 1,383%. In comparison, the Ford Explorer saw an increase of 67.9%, while the Ford Capri achieved 109.6% growth.
Therefore, it does seem that Ford has benefited from its BEV model being eligible for the full ECG discount.
The only other ECG-approved model that made September’s top 10 BEV chart was the Skoda Elroq. Having come to market in January 2025, it saw 1,671 sales in the month, placing it eighth. This was its highest total of the year but was comparable with its 1,206 sales in March. So, it seems the model’s position is based more on the model’s popularity than its £1,500 grant.
The rest of September’s top 10 BEV table was made up of models that are not eligible for the ECG. Therefore, it may be a while before the full effect of the grants becomes clear.
Tesla domination continues
Across the first nine months of 2025, the Tesla Model Y led the market with 18,310 sales. This gave it a 5.2% market share. Close behind was the Tesla Model 3, with 16,605 deliveries and a 4.7% hold of the all-electric total.
The two US models have a commanding lead ahead of the third-placed Audi Q4 e-tron. This saw 11,087 sales in the nine-month period, for a 3.2% market share.
In the PHEV market, behind the top three, the Ford Kuga placed fourth, some way behind the Jaecoo J7. With 8,305 sales, it achieved a 4.8% share of the total PHEV volume after three quarters of 2025. It was ahead of the MG eHS, which managed 5,739 deliveries and a 3.3% market share.
