October New Car Registrations Edge Up 0.5% Ahead of Fluctuating Market, Says NFDA

“The new car market in October has somewhat maintained last month’s strong momentum, with a slight 0.5% rise in registrations,” said Sue Robinson, Chief Executive of the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), which represents franchised car and commercial vehicle retailers in the UK commenting on the latest SMMT new car registration figures.

In October, a total of 144,948 new cars were registered, an increase of 0.5% from the same period last year. Sales to private buyers slightly increased by 2.0% whilst fleet registrations declined, with a -1.5% change.

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) continue their 2025 growth and registered a 23.6% change at 36,830 units. Plug-in hybrid (PHEVs) registered 17,601 units, marking a 27.2% change, and hybrids (HEVs) registered 19,250 units (2.15%).

Diesel saw 6,907 units registered, (-22.9%) compared to 8,961 in October 2024 and petrol also decreased by -11.6% to 64,360 units.

Sue Robinson added: “Looking to the final months of the year, we are likely to see registrations continue to fluctuate as well as continued pressure on the new vehicle market, due to economic issues. While electric vehicle sales are expected to keep growing and BEV momentum should remain steady, the ZEV mandate targets for 2025 continue to pose a challenge.

“The Chancellor’s budget later this month presents a crucial opportunity for the Government to address key challenges facing our industry, which accounts for around 78% of the UK automotive workforce, approximately 600,000 jobs, and generates a turnover of around £200 billion. NFDA submitted its Budget proposal in early October and is calling on the Chancellor to drive investment in automotive and address the needs of the automotive retail sector as a priority.”