Model 3 and Model Y take the top two UK EV spots in September

Tesla's Model 3 was the best-selling electric car in the UK in September, with 9,929 sales, and the Model Y was second among EVs with 5,946. The month was a record for UK electric car sales overall: 99,199 were sold, up 36 percent on September last year.

What the numbers say

Battery electric cars took a 28.3 percent share of the UK market, against 37.6 percent for petrol cars. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) credits the growth to a much wider choice of models, discounts, the government's electric car grant and high fuel prices.

Behind the two Teslas, the next places in the EV table went to the BYD Sealion 7 (3,191), the BYD Seal (3,184) and the Kia EV3 (3,026). Across all cars, not just EVs, the Model 3 was reported as the second best-selling car of the month, with the Model Y in fifth place. For the year so far, Tesla sits sixth among brands, just ahead of BMW, while BYD is second behind Volkswagen with 20,140 cars sold.

What it means if you own or want a Tesla

The Model 3 and Model Y are clearly still the cars UK buyers choose most, which is good for owners in a few practical ways: a large, familiar used market, plenty of independent knowledge and a big base of drivers to compare notes with.

For shoppers, the picture is more about choice. SMMT says the number of battery electric models on sale in the UK has more than doubled since 2023 to 178, and 20 percent of September's new car sales came from Chinese brands. More rivals, especially in smaller and cheaper segments, usually means more pressure on pricing and finance offers. If you are weighing a Tesla, it is worth pricing a rival or two before you commit.

The government's £2 billion Electric Car Grant scheme has already enabled approximately 190,000 motorists to transition to electric vehicles, with an additional £600 million committed toward expanding the charging network. Check the current grant rules for the specific car you are considering, as eligibility is set by the scheme and not by Tesla.

Pressure behind the scenes

SMMT's chief executive Mike Hawes warns that uptake is still behind mandated targets, with the UK required to reach 33 percent EV sales next year, and that the country faces the world's most demanding targets alongside the highest energy costs. Growing pressure exists to revisit these mandate requirements. Whether that changes anything for buyers is not yet known, but discounting has been one of the tools behind the current surge, so it is a story worth watching if you plan to buy in the coming months.

Credit: original reporting by CleanTechnica.