New cars
Electric cars reached 32% of October sales, five points behind petrol
October registrations rose 5.4% to 152,730. Battery electric cars took 32.0% of the market against petrol's 37.2%, leaving the year short of its 33% target.
Charging
£38m depot charging window misses its opening date
The £38m second round of the Depot Charging Scheme was due to open on 28 October. Six days on, there is no application page and no new date from DfT.
New cars
Honda cuts CR-V and ZR-V prices, landing one trim under the £40,000 tax line
Honda has cut CR-V and ZR-V list prices by up to £4,080, and the top ZR-V now sits £415 below the £40,000 threshold for the expensive car supplement.
Guides
The turning circle: why PDCA still drives continuous improvement
Plan, do, check, act is nearly a century old and still the most practical way to improve a process. What the loop actually is, where it came from, and how to run it without turning it into a paperwork exercise.
Used market
Motor Ombudsman turns 10 with half of complaints turned away
A decade of the Motor Ombudsman brings more than 300,000 contacts this year, and around half of the people who ask for help cannot be given it.
Policy
MPs want a tariff plan for Chinese cars and a firewall for connected vehicles
A Commons committee says ministers should have tariffs ready if China will not trade fairly, and treat connected cars as a security risk. Both would reach UK buyers.
New cars
Vauxhall hands its design to Citroen's chief as Mark Adams retires
Mark Adams retires after almost 25 years shaping Vauxhall and Opel, with Citroen's Pierre Leclercq taking over the design language that produced the Vizor.
Charging
Public chargers would have to pass a cyber security standard under new plans
Public EV charge points sold in Great Britain would have to meet ETSI 303 645, with anti-tamper cases and Class B meters. The consultation closes on 20 December.
Used market
Used electric vans are gaining value while diesel vans slide
Solera cap hpi has used electric small van values up 3.1% against a 2.2% fall for diesel, while the wider used van market had its sharpest monthly cut of 2026.
New cars
Volkswagen has paused the electric Golf because it cannot afford the work
Volkswagen has stopped development on the ID Golf until it can fund the investment, pushing its electric hatchback towards the early 2030s.
Policy
Euro 7 is confirmed for 2027 and the battery test is the real change
Great Britain will adopt Euro 7 for new cars and vans from 29 November 2027. The exhaust limits barely move; the battery durability rules are the real change.
New cars
Mazda has dropped the Skyactiv-X engine from the Mazda3
The 2027 Mazda3 is hatchback only and petrol only. The 186ps Skyactiv-X is gone, replaced by a 140ps 2.5-litre mild hybrid, at unchanged prices.
Used market
Used hybrid stock is closing on 100,000 cars
MarketCheck counted 99,237 used hybrids advertised in September, a record and 24% up on a year earlier. Supply is rising, and hybrid values are easing with it.
New cars
Geely's first year in Britain: 15,264 cars, 80 sites and a target that doubles
A year after launching with the EX5, Geely has 15,264 UK registrations, a Coventry headquarters and plans for 45,000 sales in 2027. What the numbers show.
New cars
Volkswagen's profit fell 98.7% and its electric cars are part of the reason
Volkswagen Group made €71 million in nine months, down from €5.4 billion, and says rising EV sales are squeezing its margins. What the numbers show.
New cars
Foton will bring a diesel mild-hybrid pick-up to Britain in early 2027
The Chinese commercial vehicle maker is entering the UK through International Motors with the Tunland double cab. Prices and specification are still to come.
New cars
Car production jumped 38.6% in September, and last year's cyberattack explains most of it
UK factories built 70,831 cars last month against a September 2025 crippled by the JLR shutdown. The year to date is still down, and the forecast has been cut.
New carsAll →
- Company car tax now runs to 2030/31, and the electric rate reaches 10%28 October 2026
- New car prices are up 58% in a decade while household incomes rose 2%26 October 2026
- Zenos is back with the E10, and it starts at £115,90018 October 2026
- Tesla's Roadster took off, and the numbers stayed on the ground17 October 2026
- Leapmotor's B03 brings 242 miles, one trim and no UK price12 October 2026
- Vauxhall builds an electric estate concept and redraws the Griffin11 October 2026
PolicyAll →
- Budget 2026 for drivers: fuel duty frozen to July, eVED fleshed out, £100 million for on-street charging28 October 2026
- Two-thirds of drivers are cutting back as pump prices approach record levels27 October 2026
- Burnham steps back from the 2030 electric car target as the cabinet splits25 October 2026
- London's new minicabs would have to be electric from 2028 under TfL's plan24 October 2026
- Cross-pavement chargers need no planning permission from today, and the bill drops21 October 2026
- Reports point to a 60% electric target for 2030, and nothing is settled19 October 2026
ChargingAll →
- Octopus offers fleets up to 30% off public charging, and the maths explains why22 October 2026
- From tomorrow, charging without a driveway gets a planning route20 October 2026
- A Cheaper Week at the Plug: Home Charging After the VAT Cut6 October 2026
- The energy price cap is live: what it means at the plug1 October 2026
- 77p or 8.6p: the two-tier cost of driving an electric car29 September 2026
- Half of Councils Still Offer No On-Street EV Charging28 September 2026
Used marketAll →
- Used car values fell again in October, and electric cars were the only ones to rise29 October 2026
- Used EV values are rising while the rest of the market falls, and 300 miles is the number23 October 2026
- Vertu's first half: where a car dealer actually makes its money15 October 2026
- Car finance compensation: the tribunal date is February 202713 October 2026
- Used EVs are the only fuel type going up in price9 October 2026
- The EV Depreciation Penalty: What the Number Actually Measures4 October 2026
GuidesAll →
- MOT testers must now accept approved LED bulbs in halogen headlamps14 October 2026
- Diesel slips back below £2, and the maths has not caught up10 October 2026
- Diesel Reaches Two Pounds a Litre: What It Costs You Now2 October 2026
- The grant shelf this autumn: what the money actually buys1 October 2026
- Why the Cheapest New Electric Cars Use a Different Battery30 September 2026
- EV Road Tax Explained: What Electric Car Owners Pay From 202628 September 2026