Battery-electric vehicle uptake softened in November for light passenger vehicles, but plug-in hybrids saw a steady rise.
The Motor Industry Association (MIA) reports that 641 BEVs were registered in the light passenger segment, down from 687 a year earlier, while PHEV registrations climbed strongly to 472 units, up from 327 in November 2024. Standard hybrid registrations remained the largest electrified category with 4,201 units.
Overall, the market saw a total of 13,615 new vehicles registered in November, up 1,463 units on the same month last year. It is the latest sign the sector is slowly climbing out of the trough of the past 18 months, although economic conditions remain uneven.
MIA chief executive Aimee Wiley says the improvement should be read as cautious progress, not rapid expansion.
“The past several months show a cautiously improving picture, yet the market remains delicate. Household budgets are still under pressure and business investment is patchy,” she says.
“The rise in registrations reflects steadying conditions rather than renewed expansion. It suggests the industry is beginning to move out of the trough but has not yet shifted into a sustained growth phase.”
BEV market led by Tesla, BYD and Honda
Among BEVs, the Tesla Model Y was the top seller with 136 units, followed by BYD’s Sealion 7 (59) and Honda’s e:N1 (54).
The BYD Atto 3 recorded 34 units, and the Mercedes-Benz EQE registered 29.
PHEV uptake climbs
Plug-in hybrids posted one of their strongest months of the year.
The BYD Sealion 6 led with 122 units, followed by the Geely Starray EM-i (50), Jaecoo J7 (40) and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (32).
In the light commercial segment, 33 BEVs were registered, up from 7 last year but still representing only 1.2% of the segment.
Battery-electric heavy commercial registrations reached 12, up from 6 in November 2024.
