The Post-Holiday Rush: Why September is the Electric Month for UK Car Buyers

A post-holiday rush combined with the allure of new number plates and fresh government discounts made September the definitive “electric month” for UK car buyers. The traditional surge in the car market was supercharged this year by an unprecedented pivot towards electric and hybrid vehicles.
September has long been a key month for UK car retailers. It marks one of the two annual opportunities for buyers to get a vehicle with a brand-new age identifier on its registration plate, a factor that significantly boosts its resale value. This, combined with a back-to-business mindset after the summer holidays, traditionally drives high footfall in showrooms.
This year, that seasonal dynamic was amplified by the reintroduction of the electric car grant. This created a unique and powerful incentive for the post-holiday buyer. The opportunity to get a new-plate car was matched with the chance to get it with a discount of up to £3,750, provided it was an eligible electric or hybrid model.
The result was a decisive shift in what these buyers chose. The nearly one-third rise in pure EV sales and the 56% jump in plug-in hybrids show that consumers who came to the market in this key window were overwhelmingly drawn to electrified options. This made green cars the star of the season’s sales charts.
This perfect alignment of timing, tradition, and policy has cemented September 2025 as a landmark moment. It demonstrated that when all the conditions are right, the British public’s enthusiasm for electric vehicles is not just present, but powerful enough to dominate the most important month in the automotive calendar.