Best-selling cars in the UK: petrol car registrations fall in June

The number of new cars sold in the UK grew by 1.1% in June compared with the same month last year, according to official figures.

In total, 179,263 cars were registered over the course of the month, around half of which (50.9%) were petrol cars. However, sales of petrol-powered models were 7.8% lower this June than last, while sales of hybrids and electric cars both increased.

Regular hybrids – that’s to say, hybrids you don’t have to plug in – were 27.2% more popular this June than last, with sales reaching 26,702 last month. Similarly, sales of plug-in hybrid cars (PHEVs) grew by 30.0%, to 16,604.

Meanwhile, electric car sales increased by 7.4% year-on-year, to 34,034. Such cars, therefore, represented 19% of all new car sales in June, but the market is still falling below the 22% target set by the Government’s ZEV mandate. What’s more, fewer than a fifth were sold to private buyers; most ended up in the hands of company car drivers who can take advantage of benefit-in-kind tax incentives.

Sales of diesel cars fell to just 10,696 this June; that’s a 17.2% drop from last year’s figure and shows the continuing dwindling popularity of the fuel.

The Kia Sportage – which is available with petrol, hybrid and plug-in hybrid power – topped last month’s sales chart, while the Tesla Model Y took the title of June’s most popular electric car.

But which other models made the list? Scroll down this story to find out. And if any of them take your fancy, you can also click through to our free New Car Deals service to see how much we can save you without the hassle of haggling.

Data source: SMMT

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