New car appetite accelerates in May as Renault's reimagining of an icon leads the electric pack
23rd May, 2025 – According to the latest data from Auto Trader, new car interest remains robust with visits to its new car platform increasing 3% month-on-month (MoM) in May, whilst year-on-year, visits are up 14%.
Retailers are taking advantage of the continued interest amongst prospective buyers by advertising even more of their new car stock in front of the UK’s biggest audience of engaged car buyers. In May so far, the volume of new cars being advertised on Auto Trader is up 14% on the same period last year.
Renault charges its way to the top of the electric leaderboard
With the first deliveries of the Renault 5 E-Tech electric recently landing in the UK, buyers have been eager to get their hands on the highly anticipated hatchback. The continued excitement has helped propel the French manufacturer’s reimagined icon to the top of Auto Trader’s list of most popular brand-new EVs this month with a 9.1% share of enquiries, well ahead of its nearest rivals. In second is the Skoda Elroq which once again had to settle for silver, with a 4.7% share of enquiries, whilst bronze was taken by the Volkswagen I.D 3 which received a 4.2% share.
It's a double celebration for Renault as it also led the way for the most popular new electric brand on the platform this month. The French marque has generated a 9.9% share of all brand-new electric car enquiries on Auto Trader so far in May, beating BMW into second place with a 7.6% share. The Munich based manufacturer just pipped its German competitor Volkswagen which received a 7.5% share of enquiries.
Germany leads overall, but Chinese models in hot pursuit
When looking at the data across all fuel types, there’s been little change at the top of Auto Trader’s list of most popular new-car brands, with BMW generating the most interest for the second month running with a 12.3% share of enquires. However, Land Rover and Volkswagen have swapped places since April, generating a 10.4% and 9.8% share respectively.
Whilst the more established brands might be leading the pack, Chinese players aren’t far behind in their rear-view mirrors. Indeed, this month saw several Chinese brands take another leap up the new car rankings as the Jaecoo 7 surged inside the top three most in demand models on Auto Trader across all fuel types, rising from 7th position in April. The compact SUV generated a 2.8% share of enquiries, only being beaten by the Volkswagen Golf (2.9% share of enquiries) and the iconic Land Rover Range Rover Sport which was first with a 3.6% share. BYD has been very clear on its European ambitions and their efforts seem to have been rewarded as their increasingly popular Seal U model moved from ninth place last month to sixth with a respectable 1.8% share of all brand-new car enquiries so far this month.
Discounting levels remain steady this month following ZEV mandate change
The average new car discount across all fuel types has made very little movement this month so far with discounts increasing slightly from 8.7% in April to 8.8% in May. It’s the same for electric models, albeit in the opposite direction, softening from 10.2% off RRP in April to 10.1%. This trend could continue over the coming weeks following the government’s changes to the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate in April.
It’s been an encouraging month so far for the new car market as demand amongst consumers picks back up again after the seasonal softening in April following the March plate change. As a result of this, we’re confident what we’re seeing on our platform will convert to sales in the coming months. For electric, whilst the industry is currently tracking behind the ZEV mandate target this year, there are plenty of new electric models turning heads this month including Renault’s bold and affordable 5 E-Tech and the Skoda Elroq which will hopefully help manufacturers get closer to the target.
“With interest in the new car market still buoyant, there is a great opportunity for retailers to capitalise on this by ensuring they stock some of the most in demand cars in front of the largest audience of car buyers”
Most in demand new car electric models on Auto Trader in May 2025 ranked by enquiries/leads.
Most in demand new car electric brands[1] on Auto Trader in May 2025 ranked by enquiries/leads.
Most in demand new car models on Auto Trader in May 2025 ranked by enquiries/leads – all fuel types.
Most in demand new car brands on Auto Trader in May 2025 ranked by enquiries/leads – all fuel types.
[1] Based on brands’ electric models only
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