Fully electric cars accounted for 32.0% of new UK car registrations in October, up from 25.4% a year earlier, according to figures released November 5 by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Registrations rose 32.7%, from 36,830 to 48,858, while the overall market grew 5.4%, from 144,945 to 152,730.
Despite electric cars accounting for 32% of October registrations, their market share for the first ten months of 2026 was only 26.6% in total. SMMT expects that figure to reach 27.2% by the end of the year, which is still below the UK’s 33% headline zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate target for automakers.
SMMT Reports 32.7% Growth, Not the Earlier 54%
On November 4, Reuters reported a roughly 54% jump using provisional New AutoMotive figures. That group counted 49,155 electric registrations, close to SMMT’s 48,858. The bigger difference lies in the comparison against last year. New AutoMotive’s growth rate implies about 31,980 in October 2025, versus SMMT’s official 36,830.
New AutoMotive builds its count from a snapshot of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency database taken in the first days of each month, so its totals differ from SMMT’s: it put the whole October market at 154,407, against SMMT’s 152,730, as WhichEV reported.
SMMT’s own outlook has the mandate gap widening rather than closing: a 32% share against a 38% target next year, and 37.5% against 52% in 2028. “Higher targets may force supply, but they do not create demand,” SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said in the release.
Tesla Registered Just 282 Cars in October
The Skoda Enyaq led October’s electric models with 1,568 registrations, followed by the Mini Countryman at 1,494. The BYD Seal ranked sixth with 1,207, while the Kia EV3 was ninth with 1,036. There wasn’t a single Tesla model that appeared in SMMT’s top ten.
SMMT’s brand table puts Tesla at 282 registrations, down almost half from 511 in October 2025. Even though Tesla didn’t do well in October, from January to October Tesla rose 31.2%, from 35,455 to 46,526, according to SMMT.
September was also much stronger than October: the Model 3 and Model Y totaled 15,875 registrations, with the Model 3 alone at 9,929, according to SMMT’s September figures. September is a plate-change month in the UK and the last month of Tesla’s quarter, which explains part of the swing. My Nordic report and German report show how uneven Tesla’s October results were across Europe. EVXL also covered its June UK rebound.
EVXL’s Take
October’s 32% electric share is encouraging, but so far through this year registrations tell a different story. SMMT forecast the year to finish at 27.2%, despite the headline mandate target of 33%. Compliance rules include flexibilities for manufacturers (New AutoMotive puts the effective 2026 requirement at about 24.6% once credits are counted), so that gap does not automatically mean they will breach the mandate.
Tesla’s 282 October registrations are weak, but September’s 15,875 show why one month cannot establish a longer-term trend. The UK’s December results will be more useful to help judge its fourth-quarter finish.
Sources: SMMT, SMMT data, Reuters, WhichEV, UK government
EVXL uses automated tools to support research and source retrieval. All reporting is by Damien Kesteloo, edited by Haye Kesteloo.
