The UK's electric vehicle market has reached new heights, with car dealers selling more new models in May than they have in any month since the pandemic. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), car registrations rose by 7.1% to 160,622 units, the most recorded since May 2019.

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The rise in demand is being driven by electrified vehicles, with orders up 34.2% on May 2025. As such, electric vehicles accounted for 27.3% of cars entering our roads last month, offsetting a dip in petrol car registrations and a fall in diesel sales.

Car dealers sold more new models last month than they have in any May since the pandemic, and demand is being driven by electrified vehicles as deliveries of traditional petrol and diesel models go into reverse.

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The surge in electric vehicle sales has been backed by a resurgence in private buyers,with sales to motorists via showrooms growing by 17.2% in May, buoyed by 'increasingly competitive offers from an unprecedented range of brands and a 6 .4% increase in model choice.'

The data points to an increasing appetite for Chinese brands specialising in hybrid and electric cars, which in the last 24 months have arrived in the UK en masse with prices that undercut mainstream rivals.

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The SMMT says deliveries of EVs to private buyers have grown by 25.6% in 2026, compared with the opening five months of last year, largely due to the availability of more affordable Chinese options.

This too is reflected in the manufacturer sales charts, where legacy makers topped the order in May - with VW out front ahead of Audi, Kia, BMW and Vauxhall - but Chinese-owned MG was the sixth most popular brand.

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While legacy makers topped the order in May,Chinese-owned MG was the sixth most popular brand, with 7,463 sales last month, even overtaking US giant Ford, which recorded a 19% decline in registrations to just 6,911 units.

Chinese brands Jaecoo and BYD also climbed the rankings, outselling the likes of Mini, Peugeot, Land Rover and Volvo thanks to their impressive ranges of plug-in hybrid and electric models respectively.

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Despite the rise in demand for EVs , Tesla slipped down the rankings with just 2,934 sales as Elon Musk's car firm's fortunes in Britain continue to waver.

Tesla sales were even surpassed by Chery - the Chinese newcomer that entered the UK market just a year ago and yesterday confirmed it is in talks with Nissan to produce cars at the Sunderland factory in the North East.