A familiar duo topped the sales charts in April – as the Ford Puma and Kia Sportage return to first and second in the race to be crowned the UK’s best-selling new car 2026.
According to results published this morning by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), April produced another month of promising new car market growth, with total registrations growing by 24% year-on-year to nearly 150,000.
Driving that growth is a surge in demand for hybrid and electric cars. Not long after Donald Trump decided to invade Iran and send oil prices skyrocketing, we wrote that this oil crisis could be a catalyst for driving more customers to switch from fossil-fuel cars to EVs. We’re only two months into the war, with potentially months of petrol pricing pain still to come, but March and April have both seen sharp increases in new EV sales.
Winner of the best-selling new car accolade in both 2024 and 2025, the Ford Puma is starting to build a sales lead at the top once again, with around 2,500 more model registrations than any other model.
March was an incredible sales success for Jaecoo, the Jaecoo 7 SUV selling in high quantities than the Ford Puma and Nissan Qashqai, but was it an anomaly? The Jaecoo 7 could only muster a tenth place sales finish in April, and the Chinese SUV falls to third in the annual table as a result.
While it’s still hard to predict how the rest of the year will pan out, we at The Car Expert predict that both the Jaecoo 7, Ford Puma and the Kia Sportage will all be key contenders for the top spot in 2026, but they will have to maintain consistent sales form if they are to keep popular alternatives like the Nissan Qashqai and Vauxhall Corsa in the rear-view mirror.
Other movers in the top ten include the Mini Cooper, which moves up one place to ninth, the Volkswagen Golf and Volvo XC40 which swap places, and the Nissan Juke, which drops out of the top ten entirely after missing out on the April top ten.
- Read our monthly report: EV sales surge as petrol prices rise
Top ten best-sellers chart, April 2026
| Rank | Brand | Registrations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford Puma | 4,211 |
| 2 | Kia Sportage | 3,645 |
| 3 | Nissan Qashqai | 2,846 |
| 4 | Volkswagen Golf | 2,845 |
| 5 | Mini Cooper | 2,577 |
| 6 | Omoda 5 | 2,308 |
| 7 | Vauxhall Corsa | 2,236 |
| 8 | Volkswagen Tiguan | 2,234 |
| 9 | MG HS | 2,146 |
| 10 | Jaecoo 7 | 2,099 |
Britain’s best-selling cars of 2024
1. Ford Puma
The Ford Puma sold in impressive numbers throughout 2025, and has continued that red hot sales form into 2026, currently sitting top of the charts once again. The battle at the top is still tight, but the Puma built on its lead in April, opening a 2,500 registrations gap over the Kia Sportage.
The Puma has received plenty of praise from the UK motoring media, and currently holds a New Car Expert Rating of B, with a score of 65% on our unique Expert Rating Index. The electric version – the Puma Gen-E – fairs better, holding a New Car Expert Rating of A, with a score of 71%.
2. Kia Sportage
The Kia Sportage was so close to taking the UK’s best-selling car title in 2024, before the SUV fell at the final sales hurdle in December. 2025 was a similar story. The SUV has re-claimed second place after leapfrogging the Jaecoo 7 after April. The Sportage sells in impressive numbers, and has cemented itself as a buyer favourite in the UK.
The new Kia Sportage currently holds a New Car Expert Rating of A, with a score of 72% on our award-winning Expert Rating Index.
3. Jaecoo 7
Jumping up to second in the annual registrations leaderboard in March but falling to tenth in April, the Jaecoo 7 is still a serious contender for the UK’s ‘best-selling new car’ accolade. Jaecoo will be hoping that its table-topping sales performance in March isn’t a one-off, and the SUV can go the full distance and snatch the title from the Puma? Time will tell.
The Jaecoo 7 currently holds a New Car Expert Rating of B, with a score of 68% in our Expert Rating index.
4. 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. A strong sales showing in April sees the SUV maintain fourth in the annual leaderboard.
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%.
5. 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, and holds fifth.
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%.
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, held on to finish in sixth in 2025. 2026 looks like more of the same, as the Golf moves up to sixth.
The Volkswagen Golf currently holds an excellent New Car Expert Rating of A, with a score of 77%.
7. Volvo XC40
After rocketing up to sixth in the annual leaderboard after a high-volume month of sales in March, the Volvo XC40 falls one place to seventh after April. One of the oldest models on this list, the XC40 has been increasing in popularity over the last year, as a more upmarket alternative to the Ford Puma.
The Volvo XC40 currently holds a commendable New Car Expert Rating of B, with a score of 66% in our industry-leading Expert Rating Index.
8. MG HS
Another mid-sized SUV that often records high sales totals in the UK, the MG HS holds on to eighth in the annual table after April. A cheaper alternative to the likes of the Nissan Qashqai and Volkswagen Tiguan, can the HS hold on to its top ten status in the months ahead?
The MG HS currently holds a New Car Expert Rating of A, with a score of 74% in our Expert Rating Index.
9. Mini Cooper
Now in its fourth generation, the Mini Cooper as been a British buyer favourite for decades, and this latest iteration is no different. After finishing fifth in April, the Cooper moves up to ninth as a result.
The Mini Cooper currently holds a New Car Expert Rating of A, with a score of 71% in our Expert Rating index, while its battery-powered twin the Mini Cooper Electric holds a New Car Expert Rating of A, with a score of 81%.
10. Volkswagen Tiguan
Volkswagen’s second most popular model in the UK, the Tiguan has made faily consistent appearances in the monthly top ten for the past two years, an eighth place finish in April enough to take tenth in the annual table, knocking the Nissan Juke out of the top ten as a result.
The Volkswagen Tiguan currently holds a New Car Expert Rating of A, with a score of 71%. That puts it squarely in the middle of a crowded compact SUV class.
Another year, another sales race! We will be back with May’s new car registration update in the first week of June, as the 2026 race for the UK’s best-selling car accolade continues. Check back soon!
