EVs hit report gross sales in response to surging gasoline costs and availability of cheaper Chinese fashions

Electric car sales reached record highs in the new-plate month of March, rocketing by almost a quarter as drivers reacted to surging fuel prices and snapped up cheaper models from Chinese brands.

In fact, the best-selling new car last month was from a new Chinese entrant: the £35,000 Jaecoo 7, which has become known as the ‘Temu Range Rover’ thanks to its impressive affordability, with the SUV costing around half the price of the British icon.

Some 86,120 new EVs entered Britain’s roads in March – the most in a single month, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) confirmed on Tuesday morning.

However, against a backdrop of increasing sales across all fuel types, EVs still only accounted for 22.6 per cent of registrations; well behind the Government’s mandated target of 28 per cent for the year.

While EVs achieved record monthly sales, appetite for plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models also surged by almost 50 per cent, driven primarily by manufacturers emerging from China.

Jaecoo’s 7 accounted for more than one in five new PHEV registrations as it outsold every other model in showrooms, accruing 10,061 sales in the sector’s important month of March as the popularity of Chinese models continues to grow.

Jaecoo recorded a 574 per cent increase in sales with over 12,000 models delivered last month, which is more than Renault, Mini and Mazda. Its sister marque’s – Omoda (5,917 sales) and Chery (4,544 sales) – climbed up the sales order too.

But it was BYD that impressed most, registering 15,162 cars as it displaced the likes of Peugeot, Hyundai, Skoda, Land Rover, Volvo and its EV rival Tesla.

The UK new car market as a whole grew by 6.6 per cent in March – typically the busiest month of the year due to the launch of the latest number plate age identifier.

Manufacturers shifted 380,627 new vehicles in total, which is the most in the third month of the year since 2019.

And it was customers stepping foot into showrooms that drove the increase in demand.

Retail registrations increased by 10 per cent to 162,470 units – meaning more than two in five (42.7 per cent) deliveries were of orders placed in dealerships. 

Are rising fuel prices sparking EV appetite? 

Many of these new cars were electrified models, as the nation’s motorists seemingly responded to surging petrol and diesel prices last month triggered by the restricted oil supplies resulting from the war in Iran.

The RAC confirmed this morning that petrol prices have risen by 24p (18 per cent) to 157p on average since the US and Israel launched their first assault on Iran on 28 February.

Diesel prices have accelerated even faster, up by a third as the price of a litre jumped to 189.4p – a monumental increase of 47 pence.

And it would appear that these prices have opened drivers’ eyes to the possibility of electrified car ownership to reduce their motoring costs. 

Across EVs, PHEVs and conventional self-charging hybrid vehicles (HEVs), some 196,059 electrified vehicles found homes in Britain last month.

The official sales statistics show that more than a third (36.7 per cent) of all deliveries were cars with plugs as drivers continue to shift towards greener models. 

However, the SMMT raised its ongoing concerns that sales remain behind the Government’s Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) mandated targets, which require car makers to increase their share of EV deliveries to 28 per cent by the end of 2026. 

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said March had been a ‘boost to the industry and the economy’ but warned that many orders would have been placed before the start of the Iran conflict and therefore, suggesting the growth in EVs was not entirely representative of a shift in appetite caused by rocketing petrol and diesel prices.

He also raised concerns that orders will decline in months to come as the war ‘threatens to raise the cost of living and undermines consumer confidence’. 

He added: ‘Against this backdrop, and with the EV market falling further away from mandated levels despite record levels of incentives, an urgent review of the transition is required to secure a sustainable market, economic growth and the UK’s net zero ambitions.’

Jamie Hamilton, automotive partner and head of electric vehicles at Deloitte, said that ‘uncertainty around the cost of fuel’ will inevitably make EVs more attractive but conceded that manufacturers and dealers face ‘a challenge of enticing consumer spending at a time when many are protecting their budgets’. 

He told Daily Mail and This is Money: ‘When it comes to EVs, incentivising buyers will not only come from an attractive price point, but in the form of equitable charging infrastructure for all – particularly those without access to off-street parking.’

Chinese cars gaining popularity

According to analysis by Schmidt Automotive, Chinese brands account for 15 per cent of the UK’s new car market, with just under 100,000 new volumes registered in the first three months of the year.

Ian Plummer, chief customer officer at Autotrader, says Chinese marques are helping to drive ‘affordability, availability and increased competition’ across the market. 

‘Consistent sales growth through the first quarter shows that strong offers are bringing buyers back into showrooms,’ he explained.

‘That’s encouraging for the entire automotive ecosystem, as rising new car sales continue to also unlock supply that has constrained the used car market in recent years.’

MG remains the UK’s most popular Chinese maker, as it has for over a decade. Though its lead is now very slender.

In March, some 15,720 new MGs were delivered – just 558 units more than BYD, which has raced up the sales charts since arriving in 2023.

Like MG, its vehicle line-up is largely electrified, made up predominantly of EVs and PHEVs.

‘We’re naturally delighted to have achieved such impressive UK car sales in March and the overall quarter,’ said Bono Ge, country manager of BYD UK. 

‘Building on the growth which we’ve already had in this country since we arrived three years ago, our cars, with their strong value-for-money and appealing style and technology continue to really strike a chord with both private and fleet buyers up and down the country.’

He added: ‘As a result of the fluctuating prices at the pumps currently, we’re also seeing plenty of interest from British car buyers interested to learn more about our innovative electric, as well as plug-in hybrid, technologies.’

The Chery Group – combining Jaecoo, Omoda and Chery – registered a collective 22,495 passenger vehicles last month. That statistic is all the more impressive when considering Omoda broke into the UK market at the end of 2024, Jaecoo debuted in January 2025 and Chery’s sales started only last summer.

Only VW as a standalone brand shifted more units that the Chery Group in the UK in March, the sales figures show.

In fact, adding together the registrations of the nine biggest Chinese brands (MG, BYD, Jaecoo, Omoda, Chery, Leapmotor, Geely, Changan and XPeng) and these manufacturers represent more than one in seven (15 per cent) new car deliveries in Britain – a total of 57,414 vehicles.

The best performer of all last month was the Jaecoo 7, amassing 10,064 deliveries to overtake the UK’s best seller of the last three years, Ford’s Puma (9,193 registrations).

More than half (55 per cent) of all Jaecoo 7 deliveries last month were to private customers, the Chinese marque told us.

While prices for the petrol version start from £30,175, it is the £35,175 plug-in hybrid variant that’s in greatest demand.  

The 7 SHS (Super Hybrid System) accounted for 85 per cent of all registrations, it said. 

Gary Lan, CEO of Jaecoo UK, said: ‘Securing the number one position in the UK – both for March – is a landmark moment for Jaecoo. 

‘The Jaecoo 7 has resonated strongly with British customers thanks to its combination of advanced technology, standout design and real-world usability, particularly with our Super Hybrid System.

‘This result reflects not only the strength of the product, but also the commitment of our growing UK retail network and the confidence customers are placing in our brand. 

‘While we are relatively new to the market, our global Chery Group manufacturing base and extensive experience in vehicle exports have enabled us to adapt quickly to UK market needs and grow sustainably here [in the UK].’

BYD and Chery Group’s success can be attributed not only to their competitive pricing but also their visibility in the UK.

Both have built expansive retail networks, with BYD opening 132 UK showrooms and Chery amassing 124 dealers. Both intend to open more in 2026. 

And they too will launch new brands in Britain this year.

Denza – a premium subsidiary of BYD – will emerge in showrooms shortly with its impressive Z9GT EV, which can fully charge in around nine minutes, while Lepas will become the fourth marque under Chery’s banner.