BMW finished 2025 as the most in-demand new car brand on Autotrader, as electric models captured a growing share of buyer enquiries.
Its latest data shows BMW generated a 12% share of all new car enquiries sent to retailers across 2025, edging Land Rover (11.9%), with Audi third on 8.2%.
On a model basis, the Range Rover Sport led the market with a 3.5% share of enquiries, followed by the Volkswagen Golf (3.3%) and the Range Rover (3.1%).
Autotrader noted that Land Rover retailers still attracted substantial levels of buyer interest via the platform despite the brand’s cyber attack disruption earlier in the year.
The top 10 most popular new cars in 2025 also included fast-rising challengers, with Jaecoo and BYD featuring among the leading enquiry generators.
The Jaecoo 7 recorded a 3.0% share of enquiries, narrowly missing third position overall, while the BYD Seal U ranked eighth with a 1.5% share.
Electric vehicles accounted for 20.3% of all new car leads on Autotrader in the year to date, up from 16.3% a year earlier, highlighting an acceleration in EV consideration among new car buyers.
As per the table displayed here, MG led EV enquiries with a 15.8% share, followed by BMW on 8.4% and Renault on 6.8%. Between them, the top three brands represented close to a third of all new EV enquiries during the year.
MG’s EV lead was underpinned by the popularity of the MG4, which was the most in-demand new electric model on Autotrader in 2025 with a 5.4% share of EV enquiries. The MG S5 followed on 5.0%, while the Renault 5 E-tech electric placed third on 4.6%.
EV demand strengthened into the year-end, with electric models accounting for 23% of all new car enquiries in December.
Over the final quarter, EV sales represented 25% of the new car market – around three percentage points above the year-to-date average – supported by incentives and manufacturer discounting.
Autotrader said the market was still set to fall short of the 28% ZEV mandate target for 2025 but argued EVs remain a key growth pathway for the new car market going into 2026.
Autotrader said it expects competition to intensify next year as the brand landscape evolves faster than ever.
It said 72 brands are currently competing for attention – 27 more than in 2019 – with around 80 expected by the end of 2026. It also highlighted low loyalty in the EV sector, with only one in five new electric owners choosing to repurchase the same brand.
Autotrader’s new car performance director Bex Kennett reported visits to its new car platform increasing by 6% compared to the previous year.
“The introduction of government incentives such as the Electric Car Grant and strong discounting offers have helped to drive EV interest among consumers over the past 12 months; combined with a fast-growing range of more affordable options, making the switch to electric has become more appealing.
“The upfront price gap is now at 17% which is a huge improvement compared to last year and signals momentum in the transition following real commitment from manufacturers. Although next year will see its challenges for the new car market, it won’t be short of opportunities and we expect consumer demand to remain robust.”
AM deputy editor Aimée Turner has been a specialist B2B editor and journalist covering the international transportation sector for more than 20 years.
She has specialised in the significant safety, regulatory, and environmental issues that impact advanced technology businesses in the pursuit of more efficient, safer and sustainable transportation modes.
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