Data released on Wednesday by UK new-energy vehicle research firm New Automotive showed that total passenger vehicle registrations in the UK reached 152,331 units in May 2026, up 5.71% year-on-year. Electric vehicles continued to be the fastest-growing segment of the market, significantly outpacing all other powertrain categories. Battery-electric vehicle (BEV) registrations surged 31% year-on-year to 41,346 units in May, lifting BEV market share to 27% of total new-car registrations. UK EV registrations in May 2026 Electrified vehicles—including BEVs, plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), and hybrids (HEVs)—accounted for 53.6% of all new registrations, marking the third consecutive month that electrified vehicles represented more than half of the UK market. By contrast, gasoline and diesel vehicle registrations declined 14% and 6%, respectively. Driven by booming demand for battery-electric vehicles, Chinese automakers captured a record 14.07% share of the UK new-car market in May 2026. Combined registrations of Chinese brands reached 21,427 units, up 42.3% year-on-year. Chinese automakers outperformed Japanese brands for the second consecutive month, following the January-April period, with Japanese brands accounting for 13.12% of registrations in May. MG ZS EV MG, owned by SAIC Motor, remained the best-selling Chinese brand in the UK. The company registered 12,761 vehicles in May, up 19.3% from a year earlier and accounting for nearly half of all Chinese-brand registrations in the country. Chery Group ranked as the second-largest Chinese automotive group in the UK market. Combined registrations from Chery, Omoda, and Jaecoo totaled 6,142 units, representing year-on-year growth of 87.2%. BYD Atto 3 BYD registered 3,928 vehicles during the month, a 118.6% increase from a year earlier, giving it a 2.6% share of the overall UK market. Leapmotor, which has partnered with Stellantis for its European expansion, registered 1,897 vehicles in May, up 211% year-on-year, making it the fastest-growing mainstream Chinese EV brand in the UK market. Other emerging Chinese brands, including XPeng, Great Wall Motor, and Changan, collectively contributed approximately 2,100 registrations during the month.