New car interest ramps up ahead of plate change as Renault 5 sparks retro revival in EV market
5th February 2026 – With the highly anticipated ‘26 plate change just around the corner, consumers have been responding enthusiastically as Autotrader reports that the volume of visits to its new car platform in February increased 28% month-on-month (MoM) and 3% year-on-year (YoY).
Continuing the neck-and-neck rivalry reported in January, the Renault 5 E-Tech and Tesla Model Y are battling for dominance once again this month. The retro revival is clearly resonating with consumers, as the reimagined Renault 5 icon drove a 5.5% share of all new electric enquiries so far this February, just pipping the Tesla Model Y (5.4%) into second place, followed closely by the Skoda Elroq (4.5%) in third.
Established models lead the charge in February
Across the broader market, it was Volkswagen’s icon that grabbed the most attention so far this month, with the long-established Golf accounting for one in 20 of all new car enquiries sent through Autotrader. However, Land Rover occupied two of the top three most popular new car models across all fuel types, with the Range Rover Sport (3.6% share of enquiries) closely followed by the Defender 110 (3.5%). Last month’s ‘hottest’ new car, the Jaecoo 7 (3.4%), remains highly competitive but dropped down to fourth.
Looking across overall new car brands, Land Rover once again took the top spot (14.6%), commanding a strong lead ahead of its nearest competitors, Volkswagen and BMW. Chinese brands also continue to make notable headway amongst consumers, with Jaecoo, BYD, and Chery all featuring in the top ten most in-demand marques. Notably, Chery has appeared in the new car ranking for the very first time.
MG maintains its position as the most popular electric brand
MG continues to command a solid lead at the top of the electric brand rankings, generating more than one in 10 of all new electric enquiries. Whilst the British-badged Chinese marque was the clear leader this month - beating Renault into second place - the rest of the top five was a much closer affair with Tesla, Kia, and BYD separated by only a fraction of a percentage point.
Discounts start to increase in anticipation of plate change roll out
The average new car discount across all fuel types increased this month, nudging up to 10%1in February. Year-on-year, this average is tracking higher than February 2025 (9%). It is a similar story for electric models, where discounts have also seen a slight uptick as the market prepares for March, rising from 11.4% to 11.6%.
As interest among prospective buyers continues to grow over the coming weeks, retailers are taking advantage by advertising even more of their new car stock in front of the UK’s biggest audience of engaged car buyers. In February so far, the volume of new cars being advertised on Autotrader is up 15% versus last year.
February has built on the strong start to the year with our platform recording a 28% jump in new car visits compared to January. We’re seeing a fascinating mix of consumer enthusiasm for the incoming ’26 plates, alongside a highly competitive retail environment.
“The fact that a retro icon like the Renault 5 is going toe-to-toe with Tesla shows that consumers are craving personality and fresh design, alongside competitive pricing. With discounts creeping up, and the crucial plate change just days away, retailers who can offer the right mix of desirability and value will be the ones to capitalise on what we expect to be a highly active March.”
Most in demand new car electric models on Autotrader in February 2026 ranked by enquiries/leads.
Most in demand new car electric brands2 on Autotrader in February 2026 ranked by enquiries/leads.
Most in demand new car models on Autotrader in February 2026 ranked by enquiries/leads – all fuel types.
Most in demand new car brands on Autotrader in February 2026 ranked by enquiries/leads – all fuel types.
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