UK car market in 2024: sales recovery and electrification acceleration by Asiautos Auto Parts(China Car Aftermarket Parts Expert)

Edited by Asiautos Auto Part

In 2024, the UK automobile market continued its recovery trend, with total sales reaching 1.953 million vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 2.6%, the best performance in the past five years. Compared with 2019 before the epidemic, it was still 15.5% lower. 

● New energy vehicles are developing very well in the UK, with the market share of pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) increasing significantly, marking the acceleration of the electrification transformation of the UK market.

● Chinese brands performed impressively, with MG entering the top ten for the first time, while new brands such as Omoda and Jaecoo also began to show their influence. 

We will analyze the powertrain structure, brand structure and vehicle performance of the UK market through sales data, and analyze the competitive advantages and future potential of Chinese brands.

01 Sales Overview and Brand Performance

In 2024, new car sales in the UK will reach 1.953 million, still achieving an annual growth rate of 2.6%, mainly due to the strong performance of fleet sales, which increased by 11.8% year-on-year, accounting for 59.6% of total sales. Private car sales in the UK fell by 8.7% year-on-year, and the proportion was reduced from 43% last year to 38.2%.

● From the perspective of powertrain structure, gasoline car sales fell slightly by 4.4%, still accounting for 52.2% of the market share; diesel car sales fell by 13.6%, accounting for only 6.3%. 

Pure electric vehicle sales surged by 21.4% to 382,000 units, accounting for 19.6%, but still fell short of the government's 22% target. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) grew by 18.3%, accounting for 8.6%, while hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) grew by 9.6%, accounting for 13.4%. British consumers are accelerating their transition to electrification and low-emission models.

◎ Diesel cars: 123,104 units sold in 2024, down 13.6% year-on-year, with a market share of 7.5% to 6.3%.

◎ Gasoline cars: 1,019,128 units sold in 2024, down 4.4%, with a market share of 52.2%.

◎ BEV: 381,970 units sold in 2024, up 21.4%, with a market share of 19.6%. 

◎ Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV): 167,178 units sold in 2024, up 18.3%, with a market share of 8.6%.

◎ Hybrid electric vehicle (HEV): 261,398 units sold in 2024, up 9.6%, with a market share of 13.4%.

● Brand performance

◎ Volkswagen won the sales championship for the fourth consecutive year with sales of 166,300 units (market share of 8.5%).

◎ BMW and Kia ranked second and fourth with sales of 125,000 and 112,300 units, respectively, both achieving double-digit growth. 

◎ Ford and Vauxhall fell to fifth and eleventh place respectively due to a sharp decline in sales, and the latter fell out of the top ten for the first time.

● Chinese brands

◎ MG ranked among the top ten best-selling brands in the UK for the first time with sales of 81,500 units, ranking tenth.

◎ BYD sold about 9,000 units.

◎ Chery Omoda and Jaecoo sold a total of 4,000 units. These emerging Chinese brands are beginning to emerge in the UK market and have strong growth potential.