As UK new-car registrations increase, are BEV targets realistic?

05 June 2026

The UK new-car market saw another month of registrations growth in May. But while battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) lead the way, are mandated targets becoming too optimistic? Autovista24 special content editor Phil Curry examines the numbers.

The UK’s new-car market saw another strong performance in May, as its run of growth extended into a sixth month.

The latest data from the SMMT shows 160,662 passenger cars joined the country’s roads in the month. This was a 7.1% increase year-on-year, equating to an additional 10,592 units based on Autovista24 calculations.

According to the SMMT, the growth was driven by a resurgence in private buyers. This segment of the market saw a 17.2% increase in deliveries, as customers responded to increasing competitive offers from a growing range of brands.

This led to a 6.4% rise in model choice year on year. Within this, the number of BEVs available between January and May increased by 25.6%. In May 2026, a total of 21 additional models received at least one registration compared with a year prior. In total, 31 new BEV models have received registrations across the first five months of the year.

Brands such as Aion, Changan, Chery, Chevrolet, Geely, Mitsubishi and Skywell all saw deliveries in May, with no registrations 12 months prior. The UK’s automotive market is diversifying, and this choice is likely helping to drive growth in the private sector.

Fleet demand grew more modestly, rising by 1.8%. The market still accounted for 57.1% of all registrations. The smaller business sector declined by 18.8%. However, this equated to a drop of just 720 units, according to Autovista24 calculations.

After five months of the year, the UK market stood 8.7% larger than it had at the same point in 2025. With 924,763 registrations, it is well on course to end the year up overall.

BEVs fly as targets remain distant

The UK market was buoyed by the performance of electric vehicles (EVs). Made up of BEVs and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), the market saw a 30.5% uptick in registrations during May. With 66,098 deliveries, the sector achieved a 41.1% market share, up 7.4 percentage points (pp) year on year. This meant the gap between EVs and internal-combustion engine (ICE) models continued to narrow.

BEVs led the way in May, with the best growth of any powertrain . With 43,931 registrations in the month, they achieved a 34.2% jump year on year. This led to a 27.3% share of the monthly new-car total, a rise of 5.5pp. This was also the all-electric market’s biggest monthly share of 2026.

After five months, BEVs have seen registrations increase by 24.3% to 220,629 units. The powertrain’s momentum has ramped up throughout the year, following small increases in January and February. However, its 23.9% market share, while up 3pp, is still far below the 33% required by the zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate.

So, it seems likely that a major intervention from carmakers or the government is needed to meet targets. According to forecast data published in March by EV Volumes, the UK will see 2,061,866 units registered in 2026. For BEVs to represent 33% of the market, the powertrain would need to see over 680,000 deliveries to customers across the 12 months of the year.

Therefore, almost 460,000 additional registrations are needed between June and December. Based on Autovista24 calculations of available SMMT data, in that period of last year, 295,861 BEVs were delivered. Therefore, across the seven-month period, the technology would need to see an increase of 55.4% in registrations.

Pressure builds on carmakers

Carmakers can use various flexibilities drawn into the legislation to help meet their own mandated targets. However, should the UK not meet the 33% share requirement overall, it would be the third successive year that targets have not aligned.

The SMMT highlighted that the widening gap between government expectations and consumer demand is increasing pressure on carmakers. Many of these are having to absorb the rising costs of compliance.

Adding to this pressure was the seventh Carbon Budget, recently published by the UK government. According to the Climate Change Committee, electric models will make up 95% of the UK’s new car and van sales by 2030. The committee reported that the falling cost of batteries will propel the move to electric. This would allow BEVs to reach price parity with comparable petrol and diesel cars between 2026 and 2028.

The SMMT highlighted that this is an ambition well beyond the ZEV mandate requirement of 80% for the car market, and 70% for light-commercial vehicles. The industry body also noted that achieving this share would require a tripling of EV demand in three years. They commented that this is highly unlikely under current outlooks.

‘If such targets are to be credible, then equally ambitious fiscal and investment support would be essential. A holistic review of the transition is urgently needed,’ stated the SMMT.

UK PHEV slowdown begins?

Although strong, registrations of PHEVs slowed in May. For the first time this year, the delivery increase came in under 40%. The 22,167-unit total equated to a 23.9% rise year on year. This was still good enough for a 13.8% market share, up 1.9pp compared to May 2025.

The performance between January and May meant that despite the slight slowdown, PHEVs have still seen a 41.8% increase in the five-month period. With 121,430 units delivered, the technology accounted for 13.1% of the overall market, a 3pp jump year on year.

Adding these figures to the BEV tally, EV numbers have improved by 30% in the first five months of 2026. The powertrain group accounted for 37% of the new-car market, a rise of 6.1pp compared to 12 months prior.

HEVs lose ground

The SMMT counts the hybrid market differently from other European automotive authorities. Mild hybrids (MHEVs) are merged with their respective petrol and diesel counterparts, leaving full hybrids (HEVs) as a standalone segment.

In May, HEVs achieved a minimal volume increase of 1.8%. According to Autovista24 calculations, this equated to an additional 368 units taking to UK roads.

The result meant that, in terms of market share, HEVs fell behind PHEVs for the second month in succession. Their 12.9% hold of the overall total was 0.7pp down year on year, as other powertrains saw greater improvement. The gap between the two hybrid types grew to 0.9pp, having sat at 0.6pp in April’s monthly figures.

HEVs have seen growth in every month of 2026. However, coming up against strong volumes from 2025 means a slower trajectory of improvement. Meanwhile, PHEVs are performing well, but against lower figures from last year.

This meant that after five months, HEVs have kept their lead against PHEVs. Volumes were up 7.2%, with 131,802 units. This was good enough for a 14.3% hold of the market, even though this was 0.2pp down year on year. The figure was also just 1.2pp up on the PHEV market share.

Adding HEVs into the EV figures, the electrified sector saw a 22.3% improvement in May. Its share of 54% meant it outpaced ICE for the third consecutive month. Between January and May, electrified registrations grew 22.7%, and held 51.2% of the UK market, up 5.8pp.

Petrol leads in the UK

Petrol continued to lead the UK market in May. Combined with MHEVs, the powertrain saw 66,223 registrations in the month. This was, however, a 7.1% decline compared to the same period last year.

The fuel type managed to secure 41.2% of the overall market in the month, a drop of 6.3pp. However, it remained the dominant technology, with a 13.9pp lead over BEVs.

In the first five months of the year, petrol has seen a slight decrease of 2.5% to 406,453 units. This equated to 10,358 fewer models taking to UK roads, according to Autovista24 analysis. Yet with a 44% share, it remained the leading choice with new-car buyers. This was down 5pp compared to five-month period in 2025.

It may take some time for other powertrains to topple the petrol market in the UK. Combined with MHEVs, it remains a formidable force. Yet the gap to BEVs, the second-best choice, has closed since January. In the first month of the year, it was a 27.1pp chasm. Between January and May, the gap was 20.1pp.

Meanwhile, diesel saw 7,622 deliveries in May, a drop of 2.2%. Its 4.7% share was 0.5pp down, as it remained the least-popular fuel type. After five months, diesel suffered a 7.4% decline in volumes to 44,449 registrations, with its 4.8% share down 0.8pp.

Combining the two powertrains, the ICE market fell 6.6% in May. The powertrain group’s 73,845 registrations equated to a 46% market share, down 6.7pp, as it lagged behind electrified totals.

After five months, ICE deliveries have dropped by 3%, with 450,905 registrations. This equated to a 48.8% market share, down by 5.8pp.