How is the market ahead of the September plate change?
New data from Autotrader points to an increasingly competitive new car market ahead of September’s plate change. In this article we will look at…
How Chinese brands and established brands are ranking ahead of the upcoming plate change
How to best prepare ahead of the plate change
How Chinese brands are performing
Chinese brands continue to hold strong in the UK market ahead of the September plate change, taking five places on the top 10 list of most-enquired new cars on Autotrader in July to date. Across all fuel types the MGS9 has generated the highest share of all new car enquiries on Autotrader accounting for 5.8% of leads sent through the platform. Right behind it sits the MG HS with a 3.5% share of leads and the Jaecoo 7 with 3.0%. The top 10 list is closed out by the Jaecoo 5 ranking 9th with 1.6% and Chery’s Tigoo 8 sitting in 10th place with 1.5% of leads.
At a brand level we can also see Chinese brands ranking high with MG once again taking that top spot over the overall new car ranking with a 13.3% share of enquiries sitting above both BMW (10.2%) and Audi (7.9%). Both Jaecoo and Chery also make an appearance on this list ranking 6th and 9th respectively.
How are established brands performing?
While these figures point to rising buyer interest in specific Chinese-brand models they should not be read as evidence of a wider market shift at the same scale. Established brands like Land Rover, Volkswagen, BMW, and Vauxhall continue to rank in the top 10 most in-demand new car models on Autotrader in July 2026 ranked by enquiries/leads for all fuel types. While challenger brands are gaining visibility with in-market buyers, established manufacturers continue to account for a significant share of demand, particularly in electric.
Autotrader’s electric new car ranking show that the UK market has not made a one-way shift towards Chinese brands just quite yet. Although MG is the most enquired electric brand in July, holding a 9.7% share of all enquiries for new car electric brands, European, Korean and US manufacturers still dominate the top 10 list holding 7-out-of-10 spots. Brand such as Renault (2nd), Kia (3rd), BMW (4th), Hyundai (5th), Audi (6th), Ford (8th), and Tesla (10th) all appearing on the top 10 list. It can’t be denied that Chinese brands have made a splash in the new car market but there is still a lot to be said about these established brands and the dominance they still hold in the UK. The Renault 5 E-Tech Electric is leading most in-demand new car electric models on Autotrader in July 2026 ranked by enquiries/leads with a 5.5% share of enquiries. Supported by the full electric car grant, which was introduced just over a year ago, its performance highlights the continued importance of affordability in helping more attainable EVs cut through with buyers.
“The latest data points to a new car market that is becoming increasingly competitive as we approach the September plate change. Chinese brand models are gaining traction with five appearing in our July top 10, but it’s more important to keep that in context. Established brands continue to account for a significant share of demand, particularly in electric, where the rankings remain highly competitive”
This data comes as retailers prepare for one of the most important moments in the new car retail calendar, with visits to Autotrader’s new car platform up 11% year-on-year last quarter and advertised new car stock currently 16% higher than the same point last year, suggesting both buyer interest and retailer readiness are building ahead of September.
Average new car discounts have softened in July, dropping to 10.3% across all fuel types. Despite this drop they remain above July 2025 levels which were averaging at 9.4%. This decrease in discounting suggests that pricing remains competitive but less heavily supported than earlier in the summer.
This trend is similar for electric models where average discounts have dropped to 11.3% down 0.3% from last month.
Buyer attention is becoming more fragmented. The good news visits to Autotrader’s new car platform were up year-on-year last quarter. Alongside this advertised stock is also increased compared to last year on the platform, Bex Kennett says that this points “to a healthy pipeline of actively building ahead of the plate change. With discounts also softening in July, the market remains competitive but less heavily supported than earlier in the summer”
So, what can dealers do to prepare for the plate change?
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91% of new cars are bought on finance.
To bridge this gap, we’ve introduced New Car Offers a powerful addition to our new car package. This functionality allows you to attach finance offers to new cars, displaying the minimum deposit and monthly price upfront.
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You can now list 'due in' stock up to 6 months in advance, meaning even if the stocks still hasn’t arrived to your dealership, you can list it and potentially sell it.
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This package is designed for dealers who could benefit from the opportunity to gain more visibility on their stock. It allows your stock to get more eyes on it.
Reach out to our partnerships team here for more info
If you would like to get in contact with our partnerships to talk about how you can make the most of your Autotrader package as we approach the September plate change please reach out here.