In full-year 2024, the new car market in Britain expanded slightly with sales up by 2.61% to 1.95 million new passenger vehicle registrations in the UK.
2024 (January to December): new passenger vehicle registrations in Britain increased by a moderate 2.61% to 1,952,778 cars. This was the second consecutive year of growth but the British car market remained far below pre-pandemic levels. Petrol remained the preferred fuel for new cars and although battery-electric car sales increased to around a fifth of the total British new car market in 2024.
In 2024, the new car market in Britain expanded slightly by 2.61%% to 1,952,778 newly registered passenger vehicles. Volkswagen was the top-selling brand in the UK for the fourth consecutive year. The Ford Puma was again the favorite car model of the British in 2024 and the Tesla Model Y remained the best-selling battery-electric car in the UK.
Latest British Car Sales Data: 2024: Market Overview, Brands, Models, Electric; 2023-2008.
New Car Market in Britain in 2024
New passenger vehicle registrations in Britain increased by only a modest 2.61% to 1,952,778 cars in the full calendar year 2024. This was the second consecutive year of growth although the number of cars sold increased by less than 50,000.
According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), growth in car sales in Britain in 2024 was driven entirely by fleet. Private consumer demand weakened by 9% with only 1 in 10 private buyers opting for electric cars.
British Car Sales by Year (2006 – 2024)
New car sales in Britain in 2024 were at the highest level in five years but again failed to reach the two-million vehicle mark.
Annual new car sales in Britain were as follows since 2007:
| Year | UK Car Sales | % Change |
| 2024 | 1,952,778 | 2.61 |
| 2023 | 1,903,054 | 17.9 |
| 2022 | 1,614,063 | -2 |
| 2021 | 1,647,181 | 1 |
| 2020 | 1,631,064 | -29.4 |
| 2019 | 2,311,140 | -2.4 |
| 2018 | 2,367,147 | -6.8 |
| 2017 | 2,540,617 | -5.65 |
| 2016 | 2,692,786 | 2.25 |
| 2015 | 2,633,503 | 6.3 |
| 2014 | 2,476,435 | 9.4 |
| 2013 | 2,264,737 | 11 |
| 2012 | 2,044,609 | 5.3 |
| 2011 | 1,941,253 | -4.4 |
| 2010 | 2,030,846 | 1.8 |
| 2009 | 1,994,999 | -6.4 |
| 2008 | 2,131,795 | -11 |
| 2007 | 2,404,007 | – |
| 1992 | 1,594,000 | – |
| Source: SMMT |
Car Sales in the UK in 2024 by Fuel Type
Petrol remained the most popular fuel source for new cars sold in Britain in 2024 with the market share increasing further if the various HEV hybrid models that run on petrol are added. The share of diesel new passenger cars in the UK slipped to below 6%.
Battery-electric car sales increased by 21.4% in Britain in 2024 for a record market share of 19.6%. The UK was also the largest electric car market in Europe in 2024 by outselling Germany by 1361 BEVs.
The first year of mandated targets for new zero-emission vehicles finished with another strong December performance, with 43,656 new battery electric vehicle (BEV) registrations accounting for 31.0% of the market – the highest since December 2022’s record 32.9%. As a result, BEVs made up 19.6% of the market (381,970 units) in 2024, up by more than a fifth (67,283 units) from last year, but short of the 22% demanded by the mandate.
Average new car CO2 has fallen by -6.2% to 102.1g/km for all new passenger vehicles registered in the UK in 2024.
In 2024, the new car market in Britain expanded slightly by 2.61%% to 1,952,778 newly registered passenger vehicles. Volkswagen was the top-selling brand in the UK for the fourth consecutive year. The Ford Puma was again the favorite car model of the British in 2024 and the Tesla Model Y remained the best-selling battery-electric car in the UK.
Latest British Car Sales Data: 2024: Market Overview, Brands, Models, Electric; 2023-2008.
