Kia Sportage review – a popular, economical hybrid SUV
The best-selling cars in the UK 2025
February 2025 is now all wrapped up, so let’s see how UK car sales are looking
Can you believe it? We’re now two full months into 2025, Valentine’s Day has been and gone, and February’s sales figures have now been totted up by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Interestingly, the top-selling car for February alone was the MINI Cooper, and it’s managed to edge its way into eighth place in the top 10 best-selling cars so far this year. For now, the best-selling cars of the year remain the Kia Sportage, Nissan Qashqai and Vauxhall Corsa, while last year’s overall best-seller, the Ford Puma, lags behind in ninth place.
It was a slow start to 2025, with sales figures in January down by 2.5% – they’re still down by 1% in February 2025 compared to the same period last year, so that means car sales overall are down 1.9% so far in 2025. Petrol and diesel cars have taken the biggest hit, with 16.1% fewer petrol cars and 10.3% fewer diesel cars sold in 2025 compared to last year. Petrol cars still make up the majority of new car sales at 49.2% of the market, while diesel cars comprise just 5.8% of it – that’s down from 57.5% and 6.3% last year, respectively.
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By far the biggest growth in market share goes to electric vehicles, which now comprise 22.8% of new car sales for 2025, compared to 15.8% in 2024. Despite the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y being the second and third-best sellers of February 2025 alone, they don’t yet feature in the overall top 10 best-sellers so far this year.
Hybrids and plug-in hybrids combined have accounted for just over a fifth of new car sales in 2025 so far, though they don’t quite make up as many sales as electric cars at 22.3%. Conventional hybrid car sales have gone up by 4.8% compared to 2024, while plug-in hybrid car sales have increased by a significant 10.1% so far this year compared with 2024 year-to-date.
2024 ended with eight SUVs in the top 10 best-sellers list, and seven SUVs 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, Volkswagen Golf and MINI Cooper have experienced strong sales and make the top 10 for January.
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: 4,992
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 8% 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.
UK sales year-to-date: 4,948
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 second-place spot for the first couple of 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.
UK sales year-to-date: 4,625
The Vauxhall Corsa is back in the best-sellers list for the second 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.
UK sales year-to-date: 4,302
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 with the entry-level Life model that gets 16-inch alloy wheels, a 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen and even driver assistance features like front and rear parking sensors, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist and road sign recognition. 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.
UK sales year-to-date: 3,943
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.
UK sales year-to-date: 3,851
The Peugeot 3008 debuted on the 10 best-sellers list in January 2025, taking fifth place, and has dropped into sixth for February. It’s available with a wide range of power options, so you can opt for hybrid, plug-in hybrid or electric power – the latter is called the E-3008. It sports a striking new coupe-SUV look and an upmarket interior, which has clearly struck a chord with buyers.
Despite its rakish looks, the 3008 actually boasts a larger boot than the Nissan Qashqai and the interior feels well thought out. Trim levels are called Allure and GT, and the 3008 is well equipped as standard with a large 21-inch curved display spanning much of the dashboard, and large 19-inch alloys on Allure cars, giving it an eye-catching look.
UK sales year-to-date: 3,826
The Peugeot 2008 is the seventh best-selling car in the UK. It’s long been a popular model for the brand, and the latest version sports attention-grabbing space-age looks and features Peugeot’s premium interior styling. It may be pricier than some rivals, but its appearance on this list shows that’s not enough to put off buyers.
You can have the 2008 with either a 1.2-litre petrol engine, a mild-hybrid petrol engine or as a fully-electric E-2008 model. Some rivals have bigger boots, but the 2008 has lots of legroom in the back and will be spacious enough for most small families. It’s available in Allure and GT trims much like its larger sibling, the 3008, and is also well equipped as standard.
UK sales year-to-date: 3,802
The MINI Cooper makes its debut on the top 10 best-selling cars list for 2025 in February 2025. An incredibly strong month of sales proves few people can resist its iconic cutesy looks. The MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper Electric may look similar, but they’re quite different cars underneath, with the petrol version merely building on the same underpinnings as the last generation car. That’s not a bad thing though – it feels well put together and is just as nimble and fun to drive as before.
Despite the weight of its battery packs, the Cooper Electric is a lot of fun, too, and well worth your consideration if you want to make the switch. Both the electric and petrol versions get a swanky new minimalist interior with a circular OLED infotainment screen mounted on a textile dashboard, and charming, cheeky features like an ‘Experiences’ switch to change the driving mode of your MINI. Some may lament the loss of a manual gearbox whether you go for the Electric or the petrol-powered Cooper, but it’s clearly a strong seller regardless.
UK sales year-to-date: 3,798
Despite claiming the spot as the best-selling car of 2023 and 2024, the Ford Puma has dropped to ninth place so far in 2025. Has the hype for the Fiesta-based SUV waned? It’s too hard to say, and perhaps strong sales will push the popular car up the sales charts in the coming months, so watch this space. Ford will clearly be hoping so, having killed off the Fiesta to focus its efforts on Puma sales.
The Puma offers much of what we loved about the Fiesta, 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 into next year.
UK sales year-to-date: 3,676
The Volkswagen Tiguan is another car to make its top 10 best-sellers debut in February 2025. Volkswagen has stuck to a trusted 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.
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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