The Ford Puma crossover remains in pole position in the annual best-sellers race after topping the sales charts in May.
According to results published this morning by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the overall new car market improved by just under 2%. Electric and plug-in hybrid cars saw the strongest growth in May 2025, while sales of traditional petrol and diesel cars continued to decline.
In year-to-date sales, the Puma – which was the best-selling new car in both 2023 and 2024 – has marginally extended its lead to 2,300 units after five months thanks to its table-topping sales performance in May.
It remains tight at the top however, with the Kia Sportage, which finished second in May, selling in similar numbers month after month. The Nissan Qashqai, which finished third in May, retains its third place position in the annual rankings, but is starting to fall behind the top two – nearly 5,000 sales behind the Puma and with the ever-popular Vauxhall Corsa not far behind in fourth.
Besides the Qashqai, there were two other British-built new cars in the top ten last month. The Qashqai’s smaller Juke sibling claimed fourth place, while the Mini Cooper finished in tenth place for the second month running.
The Audi A3 and Hyundai Tucson – which were both popular choices in 2024 – were absent once again from the monthly top ten best-sellers. The only big mover in the annual charts is the MG ZS – a sixth place finish in May enough to move the small SUV up three places in the annual race to seventh.
- Read our monthly report: New car sales still fairly flat in May
Top ten best-sellers chart, May 2025
| Rank | Brand | Registrations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford Puma | 3,695 |
| 2 | Kia Sportage | 3,256 |
| 3 | Nissan Qashqai | 3,088 |
| 4 | Nissan Juke | 2,876 |
| 5 | Vauxhall Corsa | 2,693 |
| 6 | MG ZS | 2,624 |
| 7 | Volkswagen Polo | 2,295 |
| 8 | Hyundai Kona | 2,189 |
| 9 | Peugeot 2008 | 2,096 |
| 10 | Mini Cooper | 2,079 |
Britain’s best-selling cars of 2024
1. Ford Puma
The Ford Puma finished tenth in February, and as the crossover slid down the annual sales leaderboard, we began to question if the Puma stood a chance at competing for top spot this year. After May, consider those doubts short-lived. The crossover rediscovered its title-winning sales form, finishing in top spot in the monthly charts once again.
The Puma has received plenty of praise from the UK motoring media, and currently holds a New Car Expert Rating of A, with a score of 72% on our unique Expert Rating Index.
2. Kia Sportage
The Kia Sportage was so close to taking the UK’s best-selling car title last year, before the SUV fell at the final sales hurdle in December. The Kia has had a strong start to 2025 and shown consistent sales form, and while the SUV was outshone by the Puma in May – the Kia finished top in April and wasn’t too far behind the Puma in May.
The new Kia Sportage currently holds a New Car Expert Rating of A, with a score of 73% on our award-winning Expert Rating Index.
3. Nissan Qashqai
The Nissan Qashqai remains one of the nation’s most popular cars – a claim validated by the SUV’s top ten sales consistency. Formerly the UK’s best-selling car in 2022, the mid-sized family car was bested by the similarly-sized Kia Sportage last year. The competition remains tough, and as the Kia Sportage and Ford Puma proved more popular in May.
The Qashqai is the current jewel in the crown of the British car manufacturing industry – designed in London, developed in the Midlands and built in Sunderland. It’s also the UK’s best-selling British-built car. On sale since Autumn 2021, the Qashqai holds a New Car Expert Rating of A, with a score of 74%.
4. Vauxhall Corsa
Compact and affordable – the Vauxhall Corsa supermini is a British favourite. While the hatchback has now been surpassed by the Ford Puma, the Corsa is still posting strong registrations totals, but still sits behind the Nissan Qashqai in fourth, despite a commendable month of sales in May.
The Vauxhall Corsa currently holds a New Car Expert Rating of C, with a score of 65%, while its all-electric counterpart holds a New Car Expert Rating of A, with a score of 71%.
5. Nissan Juke
On sale since 2019, the UK-built Nissan Juke has established itself as a popular choice of British motorists in the last year, as a cheaper and more compact alternative to the bigger Qashqai.
While the compact crossover couldn’t quite match the sales numbers of its larger sibling throughout 2024, it remains a top ten contender, which is another impressive sales feat for Nissan.
The Juke currently holds a New Car Expert Rating of B, with a score of 68%. That puts it squarely in the middle of a crowded compact SUV class.
6. Volkswagen Golf
Volkswagen is the UK’s most popular car manufacturer by total sales numbers, but it took until last year for one of its models to firmly cement itself in the top ten places. That model is the mid-sized Golf, which sits in sixth after May. The family car has never recorded table-topping registration totals, but sold in very consistent numbers throughout 2024, earning its place in the mid-table.
The Volkswagen Golf currently holds an excellent New Car Expert Rating of A, with a score of 77%.
7. MG ZS
The small MG ZS SUV has been selling in commendable numbers since the start of the year, and is now MG’s most popular model in the UK. A sixth place finish in the May sales leaderboard sees the MG move up from tenth to seventh in the annual rankings.
The MG ZS currently holds a New Car Expert Rating of B, with a score of 68% in our Expert Rating Index.
8. Volkswagen Tiguan
Volkswagen’s answer to the popular Qashqai, the Tiguan was able to improve on its position in the top ten best-sellers, despite its absence from the April leaderboard, moving up to eighth from tenth. The SUV was missing again from the top ten in May, but it holds on to eighth in the annual leaderboard regardless.
The Volkswagen Tiguan currently holds a commendable New Car Expert Rating of A, with a score of 76% in our industry-leading Expert Rating Index.
9. Volvo XC40
It may be an older model compared to other competitors in the top ten, but the long-standing compact XC40 is proving to be a big seller for safety-focused brand Volvo in the UK so far this year. Hovering just outside the top ten before April, the SUV finished an impressive sixth in April’s sales standings, which moved the XC40 up to ninth in the annual leaderboard.
The Volvo XC40 currently holds a New Car Expert Rating of B, with a score of 69% in our Expert Rating index.
10. MG HS
Focusing on offering value-for-money models with pricing that undercuts other brands, MG is proving to be quite a popular motoring marque this year – the large HS currently being its second most popular offering. The large SUV now sits in tenth in the annual charts, sliding three places. The HS recorded strong sales numbers to start last year’s race, but fell away as the year progressed. Is history repeating itself?
The MG HS currently holds a New Car Expert Rating of A, with a score of 75% in our Expert Rating index.
The 2025 best-seller’s race is well under way – we will update this page with the June registrations results that will be published in the first week of July.
