The Jaecoo 7 outsold the Ford Puma in March 2026 to top the official UK new car registrations chart.
The smash-hit Chinese SUV also became the only new car to clock up more than 10,000 registrations – a hefty 871 monthly registrations head of the second-placed Puma.
It means the Jaecoo 7 is now 559 cars ahead of the Ford Puma in the year-to-date registrations, with both cars pulling clear of the Kia Sportage in third place.
The best month since 2019
Registrations rose by 6.6 percent in March – typically the busiest month of the year for new-car deals. It was the best month overall since 2019, too.
Electric car sales also rose by almost a quarter compared to 2025, reaching a record high.
However, pointed out the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the EV market share of 22.6 percent is still a long way off the 33 percent demanded by the government’s ZEV Mandate.
Overall, electrified cars – that’s EVs, hybrids and plug-in hybrids – accounted for more than one in two new car sales, with a 51.4 percent share.
‘Headlines belie the costs’
“The strongest new car market since 2019, with the highest ever volume of EV registrations, is a boost to the industry and the economy,” said SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes.
“However, the headlines belie the costs incurred and the challenges involved.
“Much of March’s performance will be from orders placed before the start of the Iran conflict, which threatens to raise the cost of living, undermining consumer confidence.
“Against this backdrop, and with the EV market falling further away from mandated levels despite record levels of incentives, an urgent review of the transition is required to secure a sustainable market, economic growth and the UK’s net zero ambitions.”
Urgent ZEV Mandate review
Last month, the car industry called for an urgent review of the ZEV Mandate, due to the electric car transition not happening as quickly as expected.
“The destination to electric has not changed and will not change,” said Hawes at the SMMT Electrified event in Westminster.
However, the ZEV Mandate is proving “just too far ahead of the market and the consumer… recognising the world of 2026 is not the one envisaged five years ago is not a retreat from ambition, it is a necessary step to achieving it”.
UK top 10 best-selling new cars – March 2026
1: Jaecoo 7 – 10,064
2: Ford Puma – 9,193
3: Nissan Qashqai – 8,718
4: Kia Sportage – 7,310
5: Vauxhall Corsa: 6,315
6: Volvo XC40 – 6,311
7: MG HS – 6,135
8: Volkswagen Golf – 5,890
9: Tesla Model 3 – 5,177
10: BMW 1 Series – 4,936
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