Many classic car owners will also own a family saloon for everyday driving to work and to the shops. Whether they decide to purchase a new car or a used one often has a lot to do with their personal financial circumstances. If you are in the fortunate position of being able to buy a new car then you may find it interesting to read about how the new car sales market is doing in the UK.

Every month, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), publishes statistics relating to the number of new car registrations in the UK.

You may be interested to read that in October 2025 the number of new cars sold in the UK amounted to 144,948. This was an increase of 660 when compared with October 2024 when 144,288 new cars were registered in the UK. That is a modest rise of 0.5%.

However, on a year to date basis to October 2025, there was a larger increase in percentage terms. On a year to date basis to October 2025 the number of new cars sold in the UK totaled 1,723,120. For the same period to October 2024 the number of new cars sold in the UK amounted to 1,658,382. That is a rise of 64,738 that in percentage terms is an increase of 3.9%.

The most popular selling new cars in the UK in the twelve months to October 2025 were: –

1. Ford Puma 45,949
2. Kia Sportage 42,164
3. Nissan Qashqai 35,250
4. Vauxhall Corsa 31,675
5. Nissan Juke 29,612

Whilst the above figures make for positive reading for the motor trade industry, let us hope that there continues to be an increasing pattern in the coming months and beyond. Quite a few prospective car buyers will possibly be holding back in making a decision to change their existing cars until he or she knows what happens in the budget that is due to take place in a few days time. Will there be any announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer that has a negative impact on new car buyers?

Classic car owners will also no doubt be listening to what happens in the budget to see if there are any changes that impact them specifically in respect of owning a classic car. Let us hope that there are no negative announcements as this may result in some owners of classic cars deciding to sell their cherished vehicles.