How has the fuel of Britain's new cars changed?
One in three cars registered new in Great Britain in early 2026 plugged in, while petrol's share fell from 39.6% to 26.8% in under two years.
Registrations
1 in 3
new cars registered in early 2026 plugged in
- 33.8% of new registrations in January to March 2026 were electric or plug-in hybrid
- 26.8% petrol share in 2026 Q1, down from 39.6% in 2024 Q2
- 35.1% hybrid share in 2026 Q1, now the most common choice
- +37.7% rise in plug-in hybrid registrations over 12 months
Britain’s new car buyers have moved away from petrol quickly. We looked at every car registered for the first time in Great Britain over eight quarters to see which fuels are winning and which are fading.
The figures run from April to June 2024 to January to March 2026, from the Department for Transport release published on 15 July 2026. You can explore them by make and model in our new car registrations tables.
How much has petrol’s share of new cars fallen?
Petrol’s share of new registrations fell from 39.6% in April to June 2024 to 26.8% in January to March 2026. Petrol and diesel cars together made up just 31.1% in early 2026, down from 44.8%.
Petrol quarter by quarter
Petrol’s share fell in six of the seven quarter-to-quarter moves, from 182,180 cars out of 459,713 to 165,319 out of 617,894. Against the same quarter a year earlier, petrol registrations were down 7.8% while the market grew.
The March and September plate-change quarters are much bigger in our data, so it’s best to compare shares or the same quarter a year apart. The table shows how the mix changed each quarter.
| Quarter | All cars | Petrol | Diesel | Hybrid (incl. mild) | Plug-in hybrid | Electric |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr to Jun 2024 | 459,713 | 39.6% | 5.2% | 29.1% | 8.4% | 17.7% |
| Jul to Sep 2024 | 507,245 | 35.4% | 5.5% | 30.7% | 8.5% | 19.9% |
| Oct to Dec 2024 | 439,563 | 30.6% | 5.3% | 29.6% | 9.4% | 25.0% |
| Jan to Mar 2025 | 578,284 | 31.0% | 5.2% | 34.2% | 9.2% | 20.4% |
| Apr to Jun 2025 | 461,604 | 30.1% | 4.8% | 31.4% | 11.4% | 22.3% |
| Jul to Sep 2025 | 537,628 | 28.4% | 4.1% | 32.5% | 12.1% | 22.7% |
| Oct to Dec 2025 | 448,149 | 27.5% | 4.2% | 29.3% | 11.6% | 27.3% |
| Jan to Mar 2026 | 617,894 | 26.8% | 4.4% | 35.1% | 11.9% | 21.9% |
Diesel is now a niche choice
Just 26,968 new diesel cars were registered in January to March 2026, 4.4% of the total. Over the last 12 months diesel registrations fell 13.8% to 90,180.
Are hybrids now more popular than petrol?
Yes. Hybrids, including mild hybrids, took 35.1% of registrations in January to March 2026 (216,786 cars), and have been ahead of petrol in every quarter since January to March 2025.
What counts as a hybrid
The DfT’s “hybrid” group can include mild hybrids, which can’t run on electricity alone. Plug-in hybrids and fully electric cars are counted separately.
In early 2026 hybrids outnumbered petrol cars by 51,467. Popular models show the pattern: virtually all Nissan Qashqai registrations in the last 12 months were hybrids, as were 97.9% of Toyota Yaris registrations.
Britain’s most registered car is almost never petrol
The Ford Puma was the most registered car in Great Britain over the last 12 months, with 55,125, up 17.4%. Its registrations were 74.3% hybrid and 25.7% electric, with virtually no petrol versions.
The Kia Sportage, in second place, was 67.2% hybrid, 22.5% petrol and 10.3% plug-in hybrid.
Related: New car registrations by fuel
How many new cars plug in?
One in three cars registered in Great Britain in January to March 2026 plugged in: 33.8% were electric or plug-in hybrid. In April to June 2024 the figure was 26.0%.
Electric and plug-in hybrid together
That’s 208,814 cars in a single quarter: 135,539 electric and 73,275 plug-in hybrid. In April to June 2024 the two together came to 119,702.
Over the 12 months to March 2026, electric cars took 23.4% of registrations and plug-in hybrids 11.8%. A year earlier the shares were 20.7% and 8.9%.
| Fuel | 12 months to Mar 2025 | Share | 12 months to Mar 2026 | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hybrid (incl. mild) | 617,191 | 31.1% | 667,634 | 32.3% | +8.2% |
| Petrol | 675,531 | 34.0% | 580,016 | 28.1% | -14.1% |
| Electric | 410,321 | 20.7% | 482,905 | 23.4% | +17.7% |
| Plug-in hybrid | 176,528 | 8.9% | 243,109 | 11.8% | +37.7% |
| Diesel | 104,577 | 5.3% | 90,180 | 4.4% | -13.8% |
| All cars | 1,984,805 | 2,065,275 | +4.1% |
Plug-in hybrids are growing fastest
Plug-in hybrid registrations rose 37.7% in a year to 243,109, more than twice the growth rate of electric cars. Two of the biggest contributors were the BYD Seal range, 55.8% plug-in hybrid, and the Jaecoo 7, 76.3%.
The data shows what buyers registered, not why they chose it.
How close did electric cars come to overtaking petrol?
Very close. In October to December 2025 electric cars took 27.3% of registrations, the highest in the eight quarters in our data, and their 122,194 came within 1,020 of petrol’s 123,214.
The electric peak and what followed
In January to March 2026, the biggest quarter in the data, electric’s share fell back to 21.9%. That was still up from 20.4% a year earlier, and electric registrations were 14.9% higher than in the same quarter of 2025.
October to December was the smallest of the quarters in our data in both 2024 and 2025. That partly explains why electric’s share peaked then.
The most registered electric cars
Among fully electric models, the Tesla Model Y led with 23,835 registrations in the 12 months to March 2026. The Tesla Model 3 had 20,437 and the BMW iX range 14,961, a DVLA model name that may also cover other iX models.
For where electric drivers can charge, see our electric car chargers and ownership figures.
Are new cars getting cleaner?
On the old NEDC lab test, the average official CO2 of new car versions on offer fell 37.1%, from 216.0 g/km in 2000 to 135.9 g/km in 2018. Those figures describe the cars on offer, not the cars people bought.
What the lab figures show
The Vehicle Certification Agency lists the official fuel and CO2 figures for every new car version in its car fuel data. Across the versions listed, petrol fell from 224.4 to 148.7 g/km and diesel from 185.6 to 127.8 g/km.
Diesel’s share of versions on offer rose from 21.2% to 47.3% over the same years. These are laboratory results, which may not reflect real-world driving.
| Year | Versions listed | Average CO2 | Petrol versions | Diesel versions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1,735 | 216.0 g/km | 224.4 g/km | 185.6 g/km |
| 2018 | 7,370 | 135.9 g/km | 148.7 g/km | 127.8 g/km |
Why we stop at 2018
From 2019, VCA’s figures come from the WLTP test rather than NEDC, and the two sets of figures can’t be joined. Our page on CO2 emissions of new cars since 2000 explains why later averages aren’t comparable.
For the lowest official figures on sale, see our list of the most economical new cars.
What do these figures include?
They count every car registered for the first time in Great Britain, including used imports. They aren’t the same as industry sales figures for the UK.
The source data
The counts come from table VEH0160 in the DfT’s vehicle licensing statistics for January to March 2026. The make, model and fuel detail is in the DfT’s vehicle licensing data files.
“Other” fuels, at 0.2% or less in every quarter, are left out of the tables. Our page on how we count registrations has the full rules.
How this relates to the ZEV mandate
The zero emission vehicle mandate sets targets for the proportion of each manufacturer’s new car and van registrations that must be zero emission. Those targets allow flexibilities and trading, so we don’t compare them with the counts here.
The government is currently consulting on the mandate in its ZEV mandate review, published on 14 August 2026.
FAQs
What share of new cars in Britain are electric?
21.9% of cars registered for the first time in Great Britain in January to March 2026, or 135,539 of 617,894. Over the 12 months to March 2026 the share was 23.4%.
Are petrol cars still the most popular?
No. Hybrids, including mild hybrids, have outnumbered petrol cars in every quarter since January to March 2025. In 2026 Q1 the split was 35.1% hybrid to 26.8% petrol.
How many new diesel cars are registered?
26,968 in January to March 2026, which is 4.4% of all first registrations in Great Britain.
Which fuel type is growing fastest?
Plug-in hybrids. Their registrations rose 37.7% to 243,109 in the 12 months to March 2026.
What is the most registered new car in Britain?
The Ford Puma, with 55,125 first registrations in Great Britain from April 2025 to March 2026. Its registrations were 74.3% hybrid and 25.7% electric.
What is the most registered electric car?
The Tesla Model Y, with 23,835 first registrations in the 12 months to March 2026, ahead of the Tesla Model 3 on 20,437.
Are new cars getting cleaner?
On the old NEDC lab test, the average official CO2 of new car versions on offer fell from 216.0 g/km in 2000 to 135.9 g/km in 2018. That covers the cars on offer, not the cars sold, and later WLTP figures can't be compared with it.
Is this the same as industry sales data?
No. These are DfT figures for cars registered for the first time in Great Britain, which include used imports, so they won't match industry new car sales figures.
About the author
The UK Motoring editorial team analyses official motoring data and checks every figure against its source before it is published.
