Last year in 2024, the Ford Puma was the UK's best-selling car, closely followed by the Kia Sportage and Nissan Qashqai. And guess what? So far, 2025 is shaping up to be exactly the same. Ford's dinky SUV is leading the way among the top-selling cars in the UK once again, closely followed by its chunkier challengers from Japan and Korea.
The table below is a summary of year-to-date new car registrations in the UK. Scroll down the page for more details about each model.
| Vehicle | Registrations YTD | Read more | Search |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Puma | 21,936 | Ford Puma review | Ford Puma for sale |
| Kia Sportage | 19,636 | Kia Sportage review | Kia Sportage for sale |
| Nissan Qashqai | 17,077 | Nissan Qashqai review | Nissan Qashqai for sale |
| Vauxhall Corsa | 16,545 | Vauxhall Corsa review | Vauxhall Corsa for sale |
| Nissan Juke | 15,249 | Nissan Juke review | Nissan Juke for sale |
| Volkswagen Golf | 14,198 | Volkswagen Golf review | Volkswagen Golf for sale |
| MG ZS | 12,918 | MG ZS review | MG ZS for sale |
| Volkswagen Tiguan | 12,634 | Volkswagen Tiguan Review | View Listings |
| Volvo XC40 | 12,606 | Volvo XC40 review | Volvo XC40 for sale |
| MG HS | 12,548 | MG HS review | MG HS for sale |
The 10 Bestselling New Cars in 2025
- 1. Ford Puma
- 2. Kia Sportage
- 3. Nissan Qashqai
- 4. Vauxhall Corsa
- 5. Nissan Juke
- 6. Volkswagen Golf
- 7. MG ZS
- 8. Volkswagen Tiguan
- 9. Volvo XC40
- 10. MG HS
- The new car market so far in 2025
1. Ford Puma
Registrations in 2025: 21,936
The Puma is Ford's de rigueur small SUV, and since the untimely demise of the company's previous best-seller, the Ford Fiesta supermini, it's ably taken on the mantle as the company's most popular model, outgunning traditionally popular family car stablemates such as the Ford Focus hatchback and the Ford Kuga SUV. Buyers clearly value its blend of involving driving dynamics, a high driving position, good fuel economy from its mild-hybrid engines, and a clever boot with an extra waterproof compartment - the Megabox - beneath the floor, which gives it a level of practicality you wouldn’t expect from a small car. There’s now a zero-emissions electric version, too, which should help further cement the Puma’s position at the top of the automotive sales charts.
Ford Puma Review
2. Kia Sportage
Registrations in 2025: 19,636
The Sportage finished fourth on the list of best-sellers in 2023, and climbed up to second place in 2024, a place it's currently maintaining so far in 2025. And it's no wonder. It comes with extrovert styling and the option of plug-in or full hybrid variants, on top of more conventional petrol engines. Inside, the Sportage is smart, too, with glossy materials, clever design touches and a slick infotainment system. As you’d expect, there’s plenty of space and practicality on offer, too.
Kia Sportage Mk5 Review
3. Nissan Qashqai
Registrations in 2025: 17,077
The Qashqai topped the best-sellers list outright in 2022, and with second-place and third-place finishes in 2023 and 2024, respectively, it has maintained an impressively strong performance over a number of years. And that’s continuing so far in 2025, because it’s currently tracking third in the list of best-sellers. And that success is no surprise; the Qashqai is just the right size to make it perfect for most British families, and its wide range of engines and trims ensures broad appeal.
Nissan Qashqai Review
4. Vauxhall Corsa
Registrations in 2025: 16,545
The Vauxhall Corsa’s sales performance has been rather up-and-down in recent years, but it usually features somewhere on this list, and at the moment, it’s very much up, currently placing in fourth. This perennial favourite is one of the most recognisable names in motoring, and the latest incarnation of the Corsa combines good looks, impressive quality and strong value for money.
Vauxhall Corsa Review
5. Nissan Juke
Registrations in 2025: 15,249
The original Nissan Juke was one of the very first supermini-based crossovers, and as such, it set the tone for what has become a hugely popular segment of the market. The latest model moves the game on in every area. Of particular note is that it maintains the Juke's distinctive styling while adding more powertrain options, including a self-charging hybrid.
Nissan Juke Review
6. Volkswagen Golf
Registrations in 2025: 14,198
The Volkswagen Golf has been plying its trade for many decades now, and for a good proportion of that time, it's featured somewhere in the list of the UK's top 10 best-sellers. The latest Mk8 version arrived in 2020, and was revised in 2024 to keep it competitive with newer rivals. It provides the same enjoyable-but-sensible driving experience that the Golf always has, along with competitive practicality, exemplary quality and a fair amount of technology.
Volkswagen Golf Review
7. MG ZS
Registrations in 2025: 12,918
MG has been resurgent in recent years, thanks largely to the dedicated following it's managed to develop for its portfolio of impressive electric cars. That being the case, it might be something of a surprise to see the ZS on this list rather than one of the EVs, but it really shouldn't be. It provides more space, practicality and standard equipment than most rivals, and for a lower cost. It also adds smart styling, impressive interior quality and low hybrid running costs into the mix, and comes with a very generous seven-year warranty.
MG ZS Review
8. Volkswagen Tiguan
Registrations in 2025: 12,634
The Tiguan happens to be Volkswagen's biggest-selling car worldwide, but although the Golf still edges it in the affections of British car buyers, there's still more than enough love for the car on these shores to earn it a place on the top ten best-sellers list. The latest version was released in 2024, bringing the same mix of understated style, high quality and family-friendly practicality that had made previous incanations of the Tiguan so popular. This time, though, more tech and luxury equipment was added, bringing the car bang up to date. And that's obviously being appreciated by buyers.
Volkswagen Tiguan Review
9. Volvo XC40
Registrations in 2025: 12,606
Since its original release in 2018, the Volvo XC40 has had something of a complicated history. It was first of all offered with conventional petrol and diesel engines, and over time, the range was expanded to include mild hybrids, plug-in hybrids and a fully electric version known as the XC40 Recharge. Now, however, the electric version has been separated out to be its own model in the form of the newly-named EX40, while the XC40 name remains in use for other versions, which are now only offered with mild hybrid powertrains. Funny how everything changes, but everything stays the same. Regardless of what you call it, buyers clearly still love the XC40 for its cool design, high-quality interior, manageable dimensions, family-friendly practicality and value for money.
Volvo XC40 Review
10. MG HS
Registrations in 2025: 12,548
Another score for MG on this list, providing further proof - if it were needed - that the resurgent brand is completely smashing it right now. Its largest family SUV delivers bags of space and practicality, along with interior quality that might well surprise you. There's a plug-in hybrid version on offer for those who aren't quite ready to take the plunge on a full EV, and with aggressive prices and a heaving list of standard luxury and safety equipment, the HS is sensational value for money.
MG HS Review
The new car market so far in 2025
According to monthly year-to-date figures from the SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders), a total of 850,903 new cars have been registered so far in 2025, which is up 2.8% on 2024’s equivalent figure of 827,500.
Sales of diesel cars continue to dwindle, those numbers being -13.5% down on 2024, but most other types of car are on the rise. Petrol remained the dominant fuel type with 49.0% of the market, followed by battery electric cars with 20.9% of the market. Self-charging hybrids come next with 14.4%. Plug-in hybrids (or PHEVs) follow with 10.1% of the market, with diesel bringing up the rear with 5.6%.
Fleet cars made up the majority of new car registrations in the UK with 60.90% of the market so far in 2025, and only 37.4% of the UK’s new cars were bought privately.
In terms of how the various manufacturers are doing so far in 2025, here are the top 10 car-makers in terms of overall sales for the year.
- Volkswagen - 77,192
- BMW - 52,972
- Kia - 51,962
- Ford - 50,198
- Audi - 43,914
- Peugeot - 40,603
- Mercedes-Benz - 39,872
- Nissan - 39,638
- Vauxhall - 39,549
- Hyundai - 38,669
