A quarter of all new cars hitting British roads are now fully electric. Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) claimed 26% of the market in November 2025, crushing the 18.7% figure from last year. The Brits are going green, and they’re doing it faster than their European neighbors. No small feat.
The numbers don’t lie. Over 426,000 BEVs registered so far this year—a whopping 26% increase year-on-year. And it’s not just the battery-only crowd getting attention. Plug-in hybrids jumped nearly 35%, grabbing 11.1% of the market.
Add in regular hybrids at 13%, and electrified vehicles now command over half of all new car sales in the UK. Petrol and diesel? They’re yesterday’s news.
Electrified vehicles dominate the road while petrol and diesel fade into automotive antiquity.
The UK is absolutely smoking its European counterparts. While Germans and French drivers hover around 19-20% for BEVs, the UK’s 26% market share makes them look like they’re standing still. The EU average is a measly 16.4%. Not even close.
What’s remarkable is this surge happened despite public charging costs being ridiculously high—seven times more expensive than plugging in at home. The growing network of 73,000 charging devices across the country has helped alleviate range anxiety for potential buyers. The government’s smart move to reintroduce upfront purchase incentives of up to £3,750 for qualifying ZEVs in August 2025 has clearly made an impact. The total number of electric vehicles on British roads has now reached 1,874,271 registrations in 2025. Imagine what’ll happen when that gap narrows.
The year isn’t even finished. Analysts expect BEV share to hit 28% by December’s end, thanks to the typical year-end registration rush. It’s a pattern we’ve seen before, but this year’s numbers are off the charts.
Nobody’s talking about whether electrified vehicles will dominate anymore. They already do. The question now is how quickly the remaining petrol and diesel holdouts will convert.
At this rate, the internal combustion engine in Britain is headed for the history books alongside the coal fire and gas lamp.
The electric revolution isn’t coming. It’s here. And the UK is leading the charge.
References
- https://theicct.org/publication/european-market-monitor-cars-and-vans-aug-2025/
- https://www.smmt.co.uk/vehicle-data/electric-vehicle-registrations/
- https://www.acea.auto/pc-registrations/new-car-registrations-1-4-in-october-2025-year-to-date-battery-electric-16-4-market-share/
- https://newautomotive.org/ecc
- https://autovista24.autovistagroup.com/news/europes-best-selling-evs-in-2025-so-far/
- https://www.strategyand.pwc.com/de/en/industries/automotive/electric-vehicle-sales-review-q3-2025.html
- https://electriccarsreport.com/2025/12/uk-electrified-autos-over-50-again-as-ev-sales-hit-26/
- https://www.best-selling-cars.com/europe/2025-october-europe-car-sales-and-market-analysis/
