It is quite likely that if you own a classic car that you also possess a family saloon car for everyday use such as for commuting to and from work and doing the weekly shopping at your out of town supermarket. If that is the case you may find it of interest to hear how the sale of new cars is coming along in the UK.

According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), there were 380,62 new cars registered here in the UK for the month of March 2026. Compare that with the 357,103 new cars sole in March 2025 then you could work out that equates to an increase of 6.6% – a significant and pleasing rise especially if you are employed within the motor trade industry.

In March 2026, there were 162,470 new cars sold for the private sector compared to 147,506 for the same month last year – that is a rise of 10.1%. There were 208,853 new cars sold for the fleet market in March 2026 compared to 201,767 in March 2025 – an increase of 3.5%. There were 9,304 new cars sold for the business sector in March 2026 compared to 7,830 new cars sold in March 2025 – a rise of 18.8%.

It was particularly interesting to read that there were 196,059 new electric cars sold in March 2026 compared to 159,289 in the same month last year. That is a rise of 36,770 vehicles equating to an increase of 23.08%. We are sure you will agree that is a huge increase. Such cars accounted for 51.4% of new car sales in March 2026.

The sale of new petrol fuelled cars totalled 165,997 in March this year compared to 176,847 in March 2025 – a drop of 6.1%. The sale of new diesel fuelled cars in March 2026 amounted to 18,571 compared to 20,967 in the same month in 2025 – a fall of 11.4%. On average, the popularity of new diesel-fuelled cars continues to drop.

In March 2026, the top 5 selling new cars in the UK were: –

1. Jaecoo 7 10,064
2. Ford Puma 9,193
3. Nissan Qashqai 8,718
4. Kia Sportage 7,310
5. Vauxhall Corsa 6,315

We will continue to keep you updated as to how the new car market is doing in the UK. Let us hope that it has a good year.

Whilst writing, if your existing classic car insurance is shortly coming up for renewal, why not get in touch with us as we provide access to a panel of specialist insurance companies and we will do all that we can to help you obtain a competitive quote without any obligation.