UK electric car registrations surge 54% to capture third of market

Nov 4 (Reuters) - UK battery electric vehicle registrations grew by roughly 54% in October from a year earlier, overtaking hybrid and petrol models and taking nearly a 32% market share, industry data showed on Wednesday.

Here are more details:

• According to New Automotive, 49,155 new BEVs were registered in the UK in October 2026, accounting for 31.8% of all new-car registrations.

• Total registrations rose 26.9% in October to 154,407 units

•  "Almost one in three new cars sold in October was fully electric, more than any other fuel type, and electric car sales are up by more than half on last year," Ben Nelmes, CEO of the car-industry lobby group New Automotive, said

• Tesla led the UK BEV market year-to-date, with registrations up 25.4% from a year earlier and a 9.53% market share

• South Korea's Kia and China's BYD continued to compete for second place, with market shares of 6.9% and 6.8%, respectively

(Reporting by Simone Lobo in Bengaluru; Editing by Aby Jose Koilparambil)