United Kingdom New Passenger Car Registrations YoY

New car registrations in the UK fell by 10.4% year-on-year in April 2025 to 120,331 units—13,943 fewer than the same month last year and 25.3% below April 2019 levels. This marks the sixth decline in seven months, reflecting weak consumer confidence and a fragile economy. April is usually a quieter month after the March plate change, but this year it was further affected by Easter falling late, reducing the number of working days. Changes to Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) from 1 April, including new taxes on expensive electric vehicles (EVs), also led many buyers to purchase earlier in March. All sales types saw declines: private (-7.9%), fleet (-11.9%), and business (-10.9%). Petrol and diesel car registrations fell sharply by 22.0% and 26.2% respectively, while hybrids (HEVs) dipped 2.9%. In contrast, plug-in vehicles saw gains—PHEVs rose 34.1% and BEVs climbed 8.1% to 24,558 units, accounting for 20.4% of the market.