UK EV sales jump 53.7% as Tesla keeps its grip on the yearly crown

Britain's electric car market just had a monster October. New AutoMotive counted 49,155 battery-electric registrations for the month — a 53.7% leap over the same month last year. That's 31.8% of every new car sold, which puts fully electric models ahead of gas, diesel and hybrids as the country's single most popular fuel type.

Kia grabbed the October crown with roughly 3,600 registrations, but the year still belongs to Tesla. The Austin-based automaker holds 9.53% of the UK's BEV market, with year-to-date registrations up 25.4% compared to 2025. Kia trails at 6.9%, BYD sits at 6.8%, and no European brand cracks the top three.

Tesla's October came after a blowout September, when it registered 15,875 vehicles in the UK — nearly double its total from a year earlier, according to InsideEVs. The Model 3 ran away with the month at 9,929 registrations, and the Model Y followed at 5,946, handing Tesla the top two spots outright.

The tide is rising across the whole market. More than 522,000 electric cars have been registered in the UK so far in 2026, up 27.3% year over year, with BEVs making up 26.5% of new car registrations. That keeps the country ahead of its estimated effective Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate target of 24.6% for 2026, per New AutoMotive.

In short: the UK is buying electric faster than regulators demanded, and Tesla is still the brand to beat over the long haul. Kia and BYD are closing in, though — and October shows the monthly race is anything but settled.