Ford Puma review – a fun-to-drive small SUV
The best-selling cars in the UK 2025
March was the best month ever for electric car sales – but what were the top-selling models?
March is often a strong month for new car sales in the UK, and that was certainly the case for 2025 according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). With the arrival of spring comes the first annual registration plate change, encouraging car buyers to pick up a brand new model with a 25-plate – and more than 357,000 private, fleet and business drivers did just that.
In fact, last month saw the strongest March performance since 2019, with an especially big boost for private sales. In March alone, over 11,000 Ford Pumas found buyers, sky-rocketing the small SUV to the top of the best-sellers list. Strong sales for the Kia Sportage, Vauxhall Corsa and Nissan Qashqai also helped make last month one of the strongest on record.
Carbuyer Best Car Awards 2025 – the winners
Above all, the most impressive result was the surge in electric car sales. This time last year, EVs had a market share of around 16%, but that has since risen to over 20%. The SMMT suggests that this could have been spurred by buyers looking to purchase an EV before the new Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) rules were introduced in April 2025. The changes removed some of the financial incentives for electric cars – they’re now liable to the expensive car supplement, potentially raising ownership costs by over £2,000.
Petrol and diesel cars have taken the biggest hit compared to last year, with 7.1% fewer petrol cars and 10.2% fewer diesel cars sold. Petrol cars still make up the majority of new car sales at 49.4% of the market, while diesel cars comprise just 5.8% of it – that’s down from 56.6% and 6.9% last year, respectively.
Hybrids and plug-in hybrids combined have accounted for nearly a quarter of new car sales in 2025 so far. Conventional hybrid car sales jumped by 27.7% compared to March 2024, while plug-in hybrid car sales did even better, increasing by almost 38% versus March last year.
2024 ended with eight SUVs in the top 10 best-sellers list, and the same number currently sit in the top 10 best-selling cars list so far in 2025, so their popularity doesn’t seem to be waning just yet. There are fewer hatchbacks and superminis in the charts as there would have been about a decade ago, but the Vauxhall Corsa and Volkswagen Golf continue to experience strong sales and make the top 10 for March.
If you’re thinking of going for a higher-riding car with more practicality than a conventional hatchback, our list of the best small SUVs is worth a read. Don’t understand the SUV hype? Don’t worry – you can read our lists of the best small cars and superminis or the best estate cars on sale today. We’ve also covered the best electric cars if you’re ready to switch to plug-in power.
- UK sales year-to-date: 14,930
- Priced from around £27,000
Despite claiming the spot as the best-selling car of 2023 and 2024, the Ford Puma didn’t get off to a flying start in 2025. Just last month, it was lagging behind in ninth place, but March has proven to be a mega month for the small SUV. Over 11,000 were shifted throughout March, compared to the 3,800 in January and February combined.
The Puma offers much of what we loved about the old Fiesta supermini, namely its sporty driving experience, albeit with popular small-SUV styling and more practicality. Configure the Puma with one of Ford’s feisty, yet frugal 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engines and you’ll have yourself one of the best-handling small SUVs around. We’d go for the sporty-looking ST-Line model as this gets a sharply-styled bodykit as well as built-in sat nav and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster which changes appearance depending on which drive mode you’re in.
The Puma was updated in 2024 with tweaked styling and some welcome interior improvements. All versions now get a big 12.8-inch infotainment display as standard, which should go some way to keep the Puma competitive throughout the rest of 2025.
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- UK sales year-to-date: 12,866
- Priced from around £30,000
While the Nissan Qashqai has long been the default choice among buyers after a family-friendly SUV, the Kia Sportage actually outsold it in 2024 and continues into 2025 with strong sales figures. Offering much more space than the average hatchback, the Sportage’s 591-litre boot should be able to swallow even the largest of prams. The interior is loaded with tech, too, such as an easy-to-use infotainment system and USB-C sockets built into the front seats, thus preventing those in the rear from bickering over who gets to charge their device.
Unlike the Kia Niro, the Sportage isn’t available with a fully-electric powertrain, but it can still be had with either petrol, self-charging hybrid or plug-in hybrid power. While the plug-in hybrid will surely appeal to company car drivers thanks to its 43-mile range and low 9% Benefit-in-Kind tax rating, we’d recommend the smooth and reasonably powerful self-charging hybrid if you can afford it over the standard mild-hybrid petrol.
The Sportage is due for a light refresh soon, bringing some tweaked styling and newer infotainment tech. It’s already been revealed in its home market, so you can take a peek at the new model here.
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Find the latest new and used Kia Sportage deals on our sister site Auto Express
- UK sales year-to-date: 11,792
- Priced from around £31,000
Built in Sunderland, the Nissan Qashqai was the best-selling car of 2022, came in second place just ahead of its mid-size SUV rivals in 2023, and placed third in 2024. It’s a consistently strong seller, then, and takes the third-place spot for the first three months of 2025. The latest Qashqai is an evolution of the original which made its debut back in 2007, offering a stylish exterior and spacious interior with enough room for most families. The Qashqai gets Nissan’s latest infotainment setup which is responsive and easy to use, while mid-spec Tekna cars even get fully-digital dials.
Performance from the two 1.3-litre petrol engines can be described as ‘adequate’ – it’s Nissan’s e-Hybrid powertrain that really steals the show. This utilises a 1.5-litre petrol engine to power an electric motor, providing the same smooth driving experience as an EV. This comes as a benefit to fuel economy, too; the Qashqai e-Hybrid is claimed to return an impressive 53.3mpg on the WLTP test for combined city and motorway driving.
The Qashqai is another car that’s just undergone a styling refresh which brings a new front end inspired by traditional Japanese warrior armour that should help this popular SUV stand out a little more.
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Find the latest new and used Nissan Qashqai deals on our sister site Auto Express
- UK sales year-to-date: 11,476
- Priced from around £19,000
The Vauxhall Corsa is back in the best-sellers list for the third month in a row in 2025 after having not featured for some time. It’s possible that price cuts to the Corsa range and great-value special edition models, particularly for the Corsa Electric, have had time to take effect and bump up sales.
The current generation of Vauxhall Corsa is the most advanced yet, with a choice of petrol, mild-hybrid and electric versions – there was even a diesel, though this has long since been discontinued. Though the current Corsa may not have a hot VXR variant, one of the stand-out features is how well it drives. The Corsa is a household name in arguably its most compelling guise yet, which has contributed to its sales success.
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Find the latest new and used Vauxhall Corsa deals on our sister site Auto Express
- UK sales year-to-date: 10,749
- Priced from around £28,000
The Volkswagen Golf has been a household name for over half a century now, and the latest model offers a polished drive and improved engines over the model that came before it, making it a compelling choice. Sales have been buoyed by a recent facelift, which hit the market in July 2024.
The latest Golf feels more agile and nimble to drive than the old model, but also strikes a good balance of comfort. Frustrating infotainment and some quality cuts aside, the latest Golf’s interior is more modern and unique than it was before. There’s a long list of trim levels, though most people will be best catered-for by the well-equipped Match model. It’s only around £200 more expensive than the entry-level model, but gets 17-inch alloy wheels, a reversing camera, keyless entry and automatic headlights on top of the standard car’s lengthy kit list. Petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid models are all available, as are sporty GTI and R models for the hot-hatch enthusiasts, so most bases are covered.
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Find the latest new and used Volkswagen Golf deals on our sister site Auto Express
- UK sales year-to-date: 10,414
- Priced from around £24,000
The Nissan Juke has long been a popular car since the first-generation model hit the scene and kickstarted the trend for small SUVs. The most recent model is a big improvement over the one that came before it, becoming the fourth best-selling car of 2024 – it’s still a hit with buyers and is selling well months into 2025.
One of the biggest improvements for the latest Nissan Juke over its predecessor is the driving experience – it’s sharper and more responsive than ever before, with the same underpinnings as the Renault Clio – one of our favourite small cars. Nissan offers the Juke for a competitive price, which only helps its popularity, and it’s fairly well-equipped. All models get LED headlights, cruise control, DAB radio and Bluetooth connectivity, but it’s worth paying a little extra and springing for mid-range Acenta to get the eight-inch display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. The facelifted model gets even more tech as standard compared to before, along with a sporty N-Sport trim level and bold colour options to help it stand out.
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Find the latest new and used Nissan Juke deals on our sister site Auto Express
- UK sales year-to-date: 9,738
- Priced from around £26,000
It’s hardly a surprise to find an MG on this list. The British-Chinese brand’s range of affordable family cars has proven a smash hit with buyers, sitting in that ideal sweet spot between practicality, efficiency and value-for-money. The new MG HS went on sale last year, and it’s already ranking as one of the UK’s favourite mid-size SUVs. Nearly 10,000 examples have found homes this year so far, which is enough to land it above the pricier Volkswagen Tiguan.
You get a lot for your money with the MG HS. It’s comfortably cheaper than a Nissan Qashqai or Kia Sportage, yet packs just as much interior space and more equipment as standard. Sure, the driving experience does leave something to be desired, but we doubt many people are buying a family SUV for tackling their favourite B road. What’s more important is what lies under the bonnet – the HS is available with a traditional petrol engine or as a plug-in hybrid. The latter only costs £32,000, making it one of the most affordable ways into PHEV ownership.
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Find the latest new and used MG HS deals on our sister site Auto Express
- UK sales year-to-date: 3,676
- Priced from around £35,000
The Volkswagen Tiguan made its top 10 best-sellers debut in February this year, and it’s stuck around for March, too. Volkswagen hasn’t deviated far from its trusted mid-size SUV formula with the latest Tiguan, so it’s still offered with petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid engines, which is perhaps the key to its success.
Focusing on an existing recipe has meant that the Tiguan’s tried-and-tested engines are now very refined no matter which version you go for. The interior has seen a great quality improvement in the latest Tiguan, though we recommend avoiding the base model as it looks rather drab in comparison to other trims. Otherwise, the Tiguan is a great option as a family SUV thanks to its large boot and impressive practicality, so it’s no surprise it’s selling well.
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Find the latest new and used Volkswagen Tiguan deals on our sister site Auto Express
- UK sales year-to-date: 9,041
- Priced from around £20,000
The folks at MG HQ will have good reason to celebrate this month, with the ZS also joining the HS on the UK’s list of best-selling cars. It’s the smaller sibling to the HS, competing against the likes of the Renault Captur, Nissan Juke and Ford Puma. While it couldn’t quite match the latter two for outright sales, the ZS has still recorded over 9,000 registrations this year-to-date, making it a hot commodity for UK buyers.
And we can see why. The petrol ZS costs from under £20,000, which is little more than you’d pay for most superminis. You get far more space in the ZS, however, and its raised ride height lends it a comfortable ride and good visibility. The Hybrid+ model is the real star of the show – you get a self-charging hybrid system that can return over 55mpg while pumping out a healthy 192bhp. Then you factor in that the ZS Hybrid+ is over £4,000 cheaper than an entry-level Ford Puma, and you can see why sales are heading skyward.
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Find the latest new and used MG ZS deals on our sister site Auto Express
- UK sales year-to-date: 8,751
- Priced from around £33,000
Like the Nissan Qashqai and Kia Sportage, the Hyundai Tucson is a mid-size SUV favourite among UK car buyers. While it lags behind that pair in terms of outright sales, we think the Tuscon is the best of the trio, offering a well-built interior, eye-catching looks, and a good balance of comfort and agility. Nearly 9,000 Tucsons have been sold so far this year, and we reckon it will be sticking around on this list for a good while longer.
Like many of the cars on this list, part of the Tucson’s appeal lies in its wide range of engine options. The standard petrol engine and manual gearbox combination is nothing special, but it’s efficient and helps keep the starting price low. There’s an automatic, mild hybrid model, too, but we think most buyers will benefit from stepping up to the self-charging hybrid model. It returns up to nearly 50mpg, but comes with a much more potent 212bhp, making it comfortably quicker than the petrol models. Refinement around town is just as impressive as on the motorway – it really can do it all. There’s even a plug-in hybrid model which will appeal to company-car drivers, although its 44-mile electric range lags behind the latest and greatest PHEVs on sale today.
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Find the latest new and used Hyundai Tucson deals on our sister site Auto Express
The best-selling cars in the UK price and score list
Below you’ll find a complete table of the UK’s 10 best-selling cars, with their starting price, Carbuyer score and sales figures.
| Best-selling car ranking | Make and model | Priced from | UK sales year-to-date | Carbuyer rating (out of 5) |
| 1 | Ford Puma | £27,000 | 14,930 | 4.2 |
| 2 | Kia Sportage | £30,000 | 12,866 | 4.2 |
| 3 | Nissan Qashqai | £31,000 | 11,792 | 3.9 |
| 4 | Vauxhall Corsa | £19,000 | 11,476 | 4.1 |
| 5 | Volkswagen Golf | £28,000 | 10,749 | 4.1 |
| 6 | Nissan Juke | £24,000 | 10,414 | 3.8 |
| 7 | MG HS | £26,000 | 9,738 | 3.8 |
| 8 | Volkswagen Tiguan | £35,000 | 9,140 | 4 |
| 9 | MG ZS | £20,000 | 9,041 | 4.1 |
| 10 | Hyundai Tucson | £33,000 | 8,715 | 4.5 |
If you’re one of the swathes of buyers flocking to one of the cars on this list, check out our sister-brand Auto Express’ find a car service for the latest deals…
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