Electric vehicle sales held steady in January 2026, according to the latest figures from car industry body the SMMT, albeit with a diminished market share as the rest of the market grew 3.4% on the same month in 2025.
EVs rose a measly 0.1% year on year, taking 20.6% of new car sales against 21.3% in 2025. It was a strong month for plug-in hybrid sales, though, with numbers up nearly 50% during the same period.
The static figure is likely down to a number of factors – December 2025 was an unusually strong for EV sales as manufacturers tried to hit their zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate targets, where they’re required to sell a certain proportion of zero emission cars.
Likewise, January 2025 is often a quiet month for sales as buyers look forward to a plate change in March – and with so many new EVs arriving on the market in 2026, many are probably holding out for a new arrival before taking the plunge.
SMMT CEO Mike Hawes said there was reason to be positive for 2026, but that the government has more to do to encourage buyers into electric cars: “Despite a January dip in EV market share, the signs point to growth by the end of the year. The pace of the transition, however, may be slowing and is certainly behind mandated targets. With sales of new pure petrol and diesel cars planned to end in less than four years, there needs to be a comprehensive review of the transition now, to ensure ambition can match reality.”
According to rival numbers from research firm New Automotive, Ford was the manufacturer with the biggest overall share of the EV market in January 2026, with more than 8% of new EVs wearing the Blue Oval. The next two carmakers were Kia and Volkswagen, all three brands selling more than 2,000 electric cars in the month.
BYD was the strongest performing Chinese brand in the month (and if you want to know more about BYD click here), albeit down in ninth place. Tesla’s 650 sales in January were just enough to lift it above Citroen at the bottom of the top 20 lists, the US manufacturer down 57%.
