What happened
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) published its October new car figures on Thursday 5 November 2026. The market grew 5.4% to 152,730 cars, its eleventh monthly rise in a row. Battery electric cars rose32.7% to 48,858, a 32% share and the highest of the year. Plug-in hybrids took 15%. Petrol fell 11.6% and diesel 15.9%. More than half a million battery electric cars (503,805) have been registered so far in 2026, 26.6% of the market. As Michael Holder reported for BusinessGreen, that means nearly 50,000 new electric cars were sold in October alone.
Fleet buyers registered 89,985 of the new cars, 58.9% of the market, so most new cars on UK roads start life on a company's books.
The SMMT's van figures, out the same morning, show 25,510 new vans, pickups and 4x4s, up 11.4%. Battery electric vans had their best October yet: 3,369 registrations, up58%, a 12.9% share. Diesel still made up 79.5% of the market.
Both releases say the market is behind the zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate, which sets the share of each manufacturer's sales that must be zero emission. The SMMT's own outlook expects 27.2% for cars this year against a 33% target, 32% against38% in 2027 and 37.5% against 52% in 2028. For vans up to 3.5 tonnes it expects 10.4% this year against 24%. The industry is asking the government to lower the targets in its review of the mandate, which closed to responses on 23 October. No decision has been published yet.
What it means for your business
Nothing changes in what you report. These are sales figures, and the mandate is a rule for manufacturers. Company cars and vans that run on fuel are Scope 1, electric ones you charge are Scope 2, and both use the government's factors for the year.
Electric models are being discounted. The SMMT says manufacturers are spending billions on discounts, cheap finance and subsidised charging to sell more electric cars and vans than underlying demand would buy. If you are replacing vehicles before the end of the year, that may be worth knowing when you compare quotes.
The carbon gap is large, and it's yours to count. Take an average diesel company van doing 20,000 miles a year. On the 2026 government factors that is 0.41386 kg CO2e a mile, or 8.28 tonnes a year in Scope 1. The same miles in an average battery electric van come to 0.06856 kg a mile, or 1.37 tonnes in Scope 2: about 83% less. For an average company car doing 12,000 miles, diesel comes to 3.33 tonnes and battery electric 0.52 tonnes, about 84% less. These are the main lines only, before well-to-tank and grid losses, and they use average vehicles: your own models and miles will differ. In real terms, each diesel van swapped for an electric one at those miles takes about 6.91 tonnes of CO2e a year off the UK's roads and grid.
What to do now
- List your cars and vans by fuel type with their yearly miles, or litres where you have fuel cards, so you can see what each one emits.
- Note when each lease ends or each vehicle is due to be replaced. That is when the choice between diesel and electric comes up, and when a discount matters.
- Check charging before you switch. The SMMT points to long waits for depot grid connections. If you need a depot charger, ask your network operator early.
- Watch for the government's ZEV mandate decision on gov.uk. We will report it when it is published.
