The UK car market in 2025 continues its dramatic shift toward SUV dominance, with the Ford Puma and Kia Sportage leading sales charts across Britain. This transformation reflects deeper changes in consumer preferences as families increasingly choose practical crossovers offering better value, space, and efficiency over traditional hatchbacks—even as the market simultaneously embraces electric vehicles at record rates.

Key Takeaways

• Ford Puma reclaimed the #1 sales position in March 2025 with 11,132 registrations after briefly dropping to 10th place in February

• SUVs and crossovers now dominate the top 5 sales charts, with compact family vehicles replacing traditional saloons as the default choice

• March 2025 marked the best month ever for electric car registrations with 43.2% growth year-on-year

• The UK car market is showing strong recovery with 357,103 new registrations in March 2025, up 12.4% from the previous year

• Modern SUVs offer increasingly fuel-efficient options with smaller engines, helping address environmental concerns while meeting practical needs

Ford Puma's Market Leadership

The Ford Puma has firmly established itself as Britain's favorite car, reclaiming the top sales position in March 2025 with 11,132 registrations. This impressive performance follows a temporary slip to 10th place in February, demonstrating the model's resilience in a competitive market. With total Q1 registrations reaching 14,930 units, the Puma continues its reign from 2023 and 2024 as the UK's best-selling vehicle.

Ford's overall brand performance has been equally impressive, with sales jumping 38.8% in March 2025 to 23,634 units and capturing 6.6% of the market share. The Puma's consistent Expert Rating of A with a score of 72% from UK motoring media has helped maintain its appeal among both private buyers and fleet managers, cementing its position at the top of the sales charts.

The Kia Sportage Challenge

Hot on the Puma's heels, the Kia Sportage holds a strong second place with 7,874 registrations in March and 12,866 units in Q1 2025. The Sportage nearly claimed the UK's best-selling title in 2024 before being narrowly beaten by the Puma, showing just how close this competition has become.

With a slightly higher Expert Rating than the Puma (A with score of 73%), the Sportage maintains a consistent 5.6% market share in monthly top ten registrations. The Kia brand overall achieved 8.2% sales growth in March 2025, reaching 19,993 units and solidifying its position as a major player in the UK automotive landscape.

Traditional Favorites Holding Their Ground

While SUVs dominate the sales charts, some traditional favorites continue to perform well. The Vauxhall Corsa maintains a strong showing with 6,851 registrations in March 2025, securing third place. Nissan's crossover duo, the Qashqai (6,844 registrations) and Juke (6,471 registrations), round out the top five best-sellers.

Among manufacturers, Volkswagen leads with 31,562 units (8.8% share) sold in March, followed by Ford (6.6%), BMW (6.0%), Kia (5.6%), and Toyota (5.2%). Volkswagen demonstrated the strongest growth at 42.5% year-on-year, showing that traditional European brands are still capable of impressive performance despite the shifting market.

UK Car Market Recovery in 2025

March 2025 represented a significant milestone for the UK automotive industry, with 357,103 new car registrations marking a 12.4% increase year-on-year. The Q1 2025 total reached 580,502 vehicles, representing a 6.4% increase compared to Q1 2024 and signaling a strong recovery after market contractions in January (-2.5%) and February (-1.0%).

Private sales in March increased by 14.5% to 147,041 units, accounting for 41.2% of the market share. Meanwhile, fleet sales grew 11.5% to 202,171 units, capturing 56.6% of the market. This balanced growth across both private and fleet segments indicates a healthy market recovery that extends beyond any single buyer category.

The Electric Revolution Accelerates

March 2025 was the best month ever for electric vehicles in the UK, with Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) seeing remarkable 43.2% growth and 69,313 units sold. This rapid acceleration in EV adoption is complemented by strong performance in the hybrid segment, where sales increased 27.7% to 56,161 units, while plug-in hybrids grew 37.9% to 33,815 units.

In contrast, traditional petrol car sales remained nearly flat with a slight 0.4% decrease to 176,847 units, while diesel sales continued their declining trend, down 10.1% to 20,967 units. Despite this impressive growth, the EV market share is expected to reach 23.7% in 2025, still below the government target of 28%.

The SUV Revolution in British Motoring

The transformation of Britain's automotive landscape is evident in the sales figures: 5 out of 10 top registered new car models in 2022 were SUVs, compared to just 3 out of 10 in 2017. SUVs have completely replaced saloons as the default family car choice, reflecting a fundamental shift in consumer preferences.

This SUV revolution is driven by several factors: increased practicality, better all-round appeal, and a shift toward user selection rather than fleet manager decisions. Consumer preferences have moved decisively toward vehicles offering greater utility and flexibility, with SUVs now consistently dominating monthly sales charts across all UK regions.

Engine Downsizing and Efficiency Trends

Alongside the SUV boom, there's a clear trend toward smaller, more efficient engines. The proportion of newly registered vehicles with 0-1900cc engines increased from 67% in 2015 to 72% in 2022, while medium engine sizes (2000-2900cc) decreased from 28% to 22% in the same period.

Manufacturers are increasingly focusing on fuel-efficient SUVs to address environmental concerns, with modern crossovers offering comparable efficiency to traditional hatchbacks through technological advances. Today's consumers are carefully balancing practical space needs with fuel economy and environmental impact, and the market is responding with more efficient SUV options.

Future Outlook for UK Car Sales

The UK SUV market is projected to reach US$22 billion in 2025, with an expected annual growth rate of 0.75% between 2025-2029. This continued growth, combined with the accelerating shift toward electrification, points to a future where efficient, practical SUVs with electrified powertrains will likely dominate the market even further.

As consumers continue to prioritize space, practicality, and efficiency, traditional body styles will face increasing pressure to adapt or risk obsolescence. The ongoing success of models like the Ford Puma and Kia Sportage suggests that compact crossovers have found the sweet spot in meeting the needs of British drivers while addressing broader environmental and economic concerns.

Sources

Statista - UK SUV Market Outlook
SMMT - Car Registration Data
Driving.co.uk - Best Selling Cars 2025
The Car Expert - Britain's Best-Selling Cars of 2025
Best Selling Cars Blog - UK March 2025 Market Data