Best-selling cars 2025: the year's 10 most popular models
These are officially Britain’s biggest-selling new cars so far this year
The year’s shortest month is over, but February 2025 still saw plenty of movement in the UK’s new car market. It’s grim news for the motor manufacturers, though, because this month saw a one per cent decrease in registrations compared with February 2024. A total of 84,054 new cars were registered last month, though, and Britain’s best-selling cars continue to chop and change.
With the ZEV Mandate looming, battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) accounted for a 25.3 per cent market share in February, with hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) taking a further 13.6 per cent. Plug-in hybrids, meanwhile, were a bit less popular, making up just 8.7 per cent. Petrol remains the nation’s favourite fuel for now, though, with a 47.4 per cent share of the market.
Of all the cars registered in February, 21,244 were fully electric, and it’s believed this high number is at least partly due to the incoming changes to road tax, which will be implemented in April. However, the industry’s target of 28 per cent market share (mandated by the government) is still just out of reach for the time being.
Last year’s best-selling car, the Ford Puma, is still a popular one, but it would appear that its winning streak is coming to an end with only 1,466 units sold in February. Despite recent political controversies, Tesla enjoyed a pretty strong month with 1,990 Model Ys and 1,861 Model 3s hitting UK roads. Perhaps the biggest news of all, though, is that the month’s biggest seller wasn’t an SUV. The MINI Cooper led the way with 2,074 new registrations.
However, despite that success, the MINI is only just inside the list of the top 10 selling cars so far in 2025. Here, SUVs still lead the way, with both the Kia Sportage and Nissan Qashqai nudging 5,000 sales in first and second places respectively.
1. Kia Sportage - 4,992
The Kia Sportage was a frequent sight in the 2024 best-seller rankings, but it couldn’t quite manage to reach the top of the chart. Things are looking much more promising for this mid-size SUV in 2025, however, and this distinctive family car has led the way for the past two months. The latest Sportage offers space, tech and comfort in droves, so it’s pretty easy to see why it continues to prove very popular with buyers. That seven-year/100,000-mile warranty is as attractive as ever, too.
2. Nissan Qashqai - 4,948
It’s been 18 years since the original Nissan Qashqai first arrived on our streets, and over this time the car has grown into a household name for plenty of drivers. The latest model is a much bolder offering than its predecessors when it comes to styling, but there’s still an overall sense of familiarity where it matters. While it isn’t quite the top dog in the fiercely competitive mid-size SUV market, the Qashqai clearly still offers enough to appeal to plenty of prospective buyers.
3. Vauxhall Corsa - 4,625
Plenty of UK drivers have experienced at least one generation of Vauxhall Corsa in their lifetime, whether as a passenger, driver or even a learner. Following the demise of the Ford Fiesta, the Corsa is one of the most recognisable names in the supermini market. The latest generation offers plenty of choice when it comes to trim, kit and powertrains (you can even have a fully electric model), and prices start from around £18,000. Time will tell whether this small car can beat back the SUVs to become 2025’s best-seller, but it’s off to an undeniably promising start.
4. Volkswagen Golf - 4,302
Whether you want a family car, hot hatchback or even an estate car, there’s a Volkswagen Golf to suit your needs. While the eighth-generation Golf initially got off to a troublesome start (largely thanks to some irritating tech), the revised Mk8.5 version has set out to right some of these wrongs. And it would appear that VW’s efforts have paid off, too, because the Golf remains a firm British favourite.
5. Nissan Juke - 3,943
It’s been with us since 2019, but the second-generation Nissan Juke continues to be a steady seller for the Japanese brand. A facelift in 2024 has helped this ageing SUV to keep up with its rivals, and its funky looks are still as bold as ever. It would seem that this is enough to keep the Juke in the best-seller charts in 2025 – at least for now.
6. Peugeot 3008 - 3,851
Peugeot’s styling department has been on a bit of a roll lately, and the Peugeot 3008 will stand out by a mile in a crowded car park. It’s just as distinctive on the inside, too, with a stunning cabin that’s dominated by a whopping 21-inch screen and features some very pleasant materials. Unfortunately, the 3008’s on-board tech is a bit of a let-down, but plenty of style-conscious customers were still piling into Peugeot showrooms in January.
7. Peugeot 2008 - 3,826
Following closely behind its bigger brother, the Peugeot 2008 has also enjoyed some strong sales in 2025 so far. While it’s not quite as bold as the Peugeot 3008, the smaller 2008 is still a fashionable car that feels well put together. This Peugeot is a bit pricey compared with some of the competition, and the i-Cockpit layout can be a bit divisive, but it would appear that this car currently has the edge over its Jeep Avenger and Vauxhall Mokka siblings.
8. MINI Cooper - 3,802
After a highly successful February, this retro British legend continues to be a staple of the nation’s roads. Whether you opt for petrol or electric power, there’s little doubting the latest MINI Cooper’s charms. While it’s nowhere near as cheap as it once was, the latest Cooper is rather sophisticated for its size, and there’s plenty of kit and quality thrown in as standard. This is a MINI, though, so it’s only right that it’s enjoyable to drive, too, and we’re pleased to report that there were plenty of smiles during our in-depth road test.
9. Ford Puma - 3,798
The Ford Puma was the UK’s best-selling car in both 2023 and 2024, and during this time this small SUV has had a facelift and we’ve even seen the fully-electric Ford Puma Gen-E make its debut. However, there’s clearly still work to be done if Ford wishes to turn this winning streak into a hat-trick. The Puma is one of the best cars to drive in its class, and it offers pretty good value for money. However, fresh competitors are continuing to arrive at an incredibly steady pace.
10. Volkswagen Tiguan - 3,676
Many people appreciate a no-nonsense approach, and the Volkswagen Tiguan is pretty good at ticking all of the essential boxes. It’s practical, well built, efficient and feels a bit more premium inside than it actually is. Company car drivers are best catered for by the plug-in hybrid model, however we found this powertrain to be a bit jerky in its power delivery. Other than that, though, the Tiguan is a pretty solid all-rounder.
See our Volkswagen Tiguan deals
Sales vs registrations: inside the numbers
There’s an important distinction to be made where the UK’s monthly and annual ‘car sales’ numbers are concerned. Namely, that they don’t actually count the number of cars sold in the sense that many people might expect. The numbers provided by the SMMT are for car ‘registrations’ rather than being sales figures.
When customers buy a new car, it is registered before it can be driven on the road, but cars are also registered by manufacturers and dealers before they have a customer to go to. This practice of processing pre-registered cars is done for various reasons, but often the goal is to move stock through the supply chain, avoiding bottlenecks or to hit targets. It means that a significant proportion of the cars in the ‘sales’ figures could be pre-registered, and estimates of how many range between 10 and 20 per cent.
Tell us which new car you’re interested in and get the very best offers from our network of over 5,500 UK dealers to compare. Let’s go…
