Plug-in hybrids took a record 17% of UK new car sales in September

The September numbers

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) recorded 350,536 new car registrations in September 2026, up 12.0% on a year earlier. Plug-in hybrids rose 55.5% to 59,571, a record for both volume and share at 17.0%. Battery electric cars took 28.3% and petrol 37.6%.^1,2

Conventional hybrids moved the other way, falling 4.3% to 45,839 and from a 15.3% to a 13.1% share. Over the first nine months, plug-in hybrids are up 41.8% to 244,769, or 14.07% of the market, just ahead of conventional hybrids at 13.81%. Electrified cars of all kinds took a record 58.4% in September.^1,2,3,4

SMMT's preliminary release on 2 October gave slightly different totals, such as a 55.7% plug-in hybrid rise. The figures here are the final ones published on 5 October.^2,3,9

Why plug-in hybrids are growing

SMMT does not give a single cause for the plug-in hybrid jump. It credits electrified growth in general to wider model choice, manufacturer discounts and government incentives, notes that more than 110 plug-in hybrid models are on sale, and says high fuel prices are giving more people reason to consider electric cars.²

Chinese brands are a visible part of the story. The Jaecoo 7 was the UK's best-selling car in September with 10,813 registrations. Its maker says 55.7% of OMODA and JAECOO's 22,296 September registrations were plug-in hybrids, which suggests but does not prove that the plug-in version led the Jaecoo 7's sales.^2,4,5

Company buyers also matter. Fleet registrations made up 54.5% of the September market, and UK company car tax currently treats many recent plug-in hybrids generously, as the next section explains.^2,7

What a buyer pays from 2028

From 1 April 2028, Electric Vehicle Excise Duty will charge 3p per mile for battery electric cars and 1.5p per mile for plug-in hybrids, rising with inflation from 2029. Drivers will estimate their mileage when they renew road tax, with MOT readings used as a check, and pay upfront or in instalments.⁶

Take the Jaecoo 7 SHS-P, listed at £35,170 on the road with a 56-mile WLTP electric range and a 60-litre fuel tank. At the 6,000 miles a year used in Jaecoo's own finance example, the charge would be £90 a year at 2028 rates; at 10,000 miles, £150. A battery electric car covering 10,000 miles would pay £300.^5,6

That 60-litre tank is four times the 15-litre limit that Transport & Environment this week proposed for plug-in hybrids that qualify for incentives in Europe. A large tank makes it easy to run on petrol for long periods, and the per-mile charge is based on total mileage, electric or not.^5,6,8

Company car drivers and what to check

HMRC's temporary easement treats eligible plug-in hybrids as emitting 1 gCO2/km for benefit-in-kind tax, so the charge depends on electric range instead. It covers cars first registered from 1 January 2025 with a CO2 figure of 51 g/km or more under the newer emissions standards, and runs to 5 April 2028, with existing arrangements protected until 5 April 2031 at the latest.⁷

The government introduced it because new EU and UN test standards from 2025 give plug-in hybrids higher official CO2 figures. Before signing, company drivers should confirm whether a car qualifies and what happens when a lease is renewed after April 2028.⁷

The wider policy picture is also moving. The zero emission vehicle mandate requires a 33% electric share in 2026 against 26.2% so far, and SMMT wants it reviewed. Auto Express reports that the government has hinted at relaxing parts of it while keeping the 2035 deadline for hybrids. A private buyer who can charge at home will get the most from a plug-in hybrid; one who cannot should compare it with a conventional hybrid.^2,3,4