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A boost in demand for electric vehicles (EVs) drove the UK’s new car market to its strongest May sales performance since before the coronavirus pandemic, new figures show.

Some 160,662 new cars were registered last month, up 7% from 150,070 during May 2025, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said.

This was the best May for registrations since 2019, when the total was 183,724.

A resurgence in private buyers was a major factor in last month’s year-on-year increase.

Registrations from these buyers were up 17.2%.

The SMMT attributed this to “increasingly competitive offers” from a range of brands and more model choice.

Registrations of pure battery electric new cars were up 34.2% to take a market share of 27.3%.

The SMMT said this was caused by factors such as expanding model choice, “substantial” discounting by manufacturers, and “economic and geopolitical uncertainty”.

The Iran oil crisis sparked a surge in the price of petrol and diesel.

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “Britain’s car buyers are responding to a market offering more choice than ever, from both new and familiar brands, resulting in a robust May.

“The EV transition is progressing, but consumer uptake still lags behind even today’s targets, let alone the ambition set out in the latest Carbon Budget.

“While industry shares the long-term ambition, the pathway to net zero must be credible.

“It cannot come at the cost of lost competitiveness and deindustrialisation.

“A review of the transition is now urgent to ensure ambition matches market realities and we have a sustainable path to road transport decarbonisation.”

This year’s headline target for the proportion of new cars sold by each manufacturer that are zero-emission – which generally means pure battery electric – under the Government’s zero-emissions vehicle (Zev) mandate is 33%.

But manufacturers can also comply using flexibilities such as selling high volumes of plug-in hybrids.

The Climate Change Committee recommends that the Government’s seventh Carbon Budget could have a target of EVs comprising 95% of the new UK car market by 2030.

The Government said its target remains at 80%.

Ian Plummer, chief customer officer at online vehicle marketplace Autotrader, said interest in EVs from consumers is growing as “more drivers gain confidence in making the switch”.

He added: “Maintaining this momentum will be key to ensuring a healthy and sustainable market as we reach mass adoption.”

David Isherwood, UK marketing director for manufacturer Renault, said: “Demand for EVs continues to rise, driven by an ever-greater choice of more capable and more affordable cars, and the recent focus brought on fuel costs by the oil price crisis.”

Ben Nelmes, chief executive of transport think tank New AutoMotive, said: “Manufacturers have invested billions to deliver the cars drivers want, and drivers are buying them.

“The industry has a genuine success story to tell today.”