Britain registered 99,199 new battery-electric cars in September 2026, a record month that took a 28.3 percent share of the market, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. That is up 36.3 percent on a year earlier, and the month also saw the strongest overall September since 2017, with total new car registrations rising 12.1 percent to 350,518.
September is a plate-change month in the UK, and the whole market was strong. Plug-in hybrids added another 17 percent of sales, pushing the electrified share to a record 58.4 percent. The Tesla Model 3 was the best-selling electric car with 9,929 registrations, followed by the Model Y and the BYD Sealion 7.
The SMMT credits unprecedented model choice, compelling discounts and the government's Electric Car Grant. There are now 178 battery-electric models on sale in the UK. The catch is that the year-to-date share of 26.2 percent still trails the 33 percent zero-emission vehicle mandate target for 2026, so manufacturers are expected to keep discounting through the fourth quarter.
