UK Registered 99,199 Battery-Electric Cars in September, 28.3% of the Market, Still Short of the 33% Mandate
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UK Registered 99,199 Battery-Electric Cars in September, 28.3% of the Market, Still Short of the 33% Mandate
A record month leaves the year-to-date share at 26.2%. Tesla's Model 3 was the second-best-selling car of any kind.
Britain registered 99,199 new battery-electric cars in September, up 36.3% on the year and 28.3% of the market, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). SMMT calls it a record volume.
The total market grew 12.1% to 350,518 cars, the tenth consecutive month of growth and the strongest September since 2017, the SMMT release says. Electrek reported the model-level table on October 2.
The month against the mandate
The record month hides a gap. Through nine months, battery-electric cars are 26.2% of registrations, or 454,945 vehicles, against a mandated 33% for 2026. SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes said reaching it would need 265,000 more battery-electric registrations in the final quarter, and the trade body's statement says "uptake remains behind mandated targets," blaming "the world's toughest targets and highest energy costs."
Electrek puts the same requirement as a roughly 60% share of fourth-quarter sales, which it calls unlikely. It also notes that manufacturers can meet the rule through emissions credits and borrowing, so a shortfall in the registration share does not translate directly into a penalty. The number that matters is not 28.3% but 26.2%: the monthly peak is a flow, and the mandate is measured against the year.
| Fuel type | September units | Change on year |
|---|---|---|
| Battery electric | 99,199 | +36.3% |
| Plug-in hybrid | 59,563 | +55.7% |
| Petrol | 131,861 | -6.7% |
| Hybrid | 45,838 | -4.2% |
Plug-in hybrids grew faster than battery cars, to 17.0% of the market. Together the two plug-in types were 158,762 cars, or 45.3%, and electrified vehicles of every kind took a record 58.4%. Petrol fell to a 37.6% share.
Tesla and BYD lead the table
Tesla's Model 3 sold 9,929 units, the second-best-selling vehicle of any fuel type in the month. The Model Y sold 5,946 and ranked fifth overall. The two models total 15,875, or 16% of all battery-electric registrations. Behind them came two BYD models and a Kia.
- Tesla Model 39929 registrations
- Tesla Model Y5946 registrations
- BYD Sealion 73191 registrations
- BYD Seal3184 registrations
- Kia EV33026 registrations
Source: Electrek, citing SMMT data, accessed 2026-10-02
Tesla is also in the news for a software change: its 2026.38.3 update lets cars drive away from a Supercharger while still plugged in. Across the Atlantic, GM's Equinox EV fell more than 90% in the third quarter, and SMMT says 178 battery-electric models are now on sale in Britain, more than double the number in 2023.
What drove the volume
SMMT credits model choice, manufacturer discounts, the government's Electric Car Grant and firmer consumer confidence. September 2025 registered 72,779 battery-electric cars at a 23.3% share, so the share has gained five points in a year, from 23.3% to 28.3%, while the market itself grew.
The next test is October. If SMMT's figures show the share holding near 28%, the year-to-date gap to 33% stays open and the credit and borrowing provisions Electrek describes carry the difference.
Sources
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