Hyundai and Kia Accelerate UK Sales in 2025 with Record-Breaking Momentum
South Korea’s motoring powerhouses, Hyundai and Kia, have raced into 2025 with extraordinary results, firmly consolidating their positions as two of the UK’s most influential car brands. With electrification, fleet strategies and a razor-sharp product focus fuelling their upward trajectory, both marques are rewriting the rulebook for success in a fiercely competitive market.
Kia led the charge with an eye-popping 62,005 new registrations in the first six months of 2025, smashing its own records across January, March, Q1, Q2 and H1. Not far behind, Hyundai Motor UK recorded a formidable 48,777 vehicles sold, marking a 5.1% year-on-year rise while maintaining a strong 4.7% share of the passenger car market. Together, they signal a seismic shift in market dynamics, driven in no small part by the public’s growing appetite for electric and hybrid models.
Kia Surges to New Heights
Kia’s sales growth in 2025 has been nothing short of phenomenal. With the EV3 blazing a trail as the UK’s most popular retail electric vehicle, the brand has successfully translated global acclaim into UK showroom success. In total, over 31,643 electrified vehicles were sold, accounting for more than half of Kia’s sales volume in H1.
January saw Kia clock its best-ever start to a calendar year with 10,813 units and a 7.8% market share, bolstered by strong Sportage sales. The compact SUV retained its crown as the UK’s second most popular car with 23,012 registrations, while the sprightly Picanto surged 35% year-on-year to 7,607 units.
The awards stacked up just as quickly as the sales figures. The EV3 took home the 2025 UK Car of the Year title, before also nabbing the 2025 World Car of the Year accolade in April – mirroring the EV9’s wins from the previous year.
Kia’s commercial aspirations were also on full display, with the unveiling of the PV5 Purpose-Built Vehicle (PBV) at the Commercial Vehicle Show. Meanwhile, their dealer network remained firmly behind them: “Kia was once again voted the UK’s top brand by dealers in the NFDA Dealer Attitude Survey for a record fifth time.”
Hyundai Holds Its Own in a Hot Market
While Kia grabbed headlines, Hyundai kept pace with solid, strategic growth. With 48,777 vehicles registered in H1, Hyundai posted a year-on-year sales rise of 5.1% and maintained its 4.7% share of the car market. Add vans into the mix, and its total market share comes to a respectable 4.1%.
What’s more impressive is the shift in fleet performance. Hyundai has seen its True Fleet sales leap a whopping 33.8% in a market segment that rose just 7.7% overall. This comes off the back of a carefully executed fleet strategy introduced in 2020, which focused on building partnerships, improving processes and tailoring vehicles to the corporate market.
Ashley Andrew, Managing Director of Hyundai Motor UK, summed it up best: “We’re demonstrating the strength of our enhanced business model with a key focus on delivering long-term sustainable volume growth.”
Product Line-Up Powers Progress
Both Hyundai and Kia have used product diversity as a springboard to success. At Hyundai, the Tucson continues to lead the pack, accounting for over 31% of sales with 15,495 units sold. But it’s the electric newcomers that have industry watchers sitting up and taking notes.
Hyundai’s INSTER made a strong entrance, notching up 1,127 sales after just one full month on the market. Its arrival dovetails with the brand’s broader push into EV territory, with the imminent release of the IONIQ 9 set to bolster its already impressive electric portfolio, which includes the IONIQ 5 and 6, along with the KONA Electric.
Andrew added: “With the launch of the new INSTER and with IONIQ 9 coming this month, our expanded product portfolio puts us in a strong position to accelerate EV sales in line with the ZEV mandate.”
Over at Kia, the EV3, EV9, and plug-in variants of the Sportage and Sorento are the clear poster children of the brand’s zero-emissions drive. Their performance in the retail space – particularly for EVs – underlines the growing maturity of the electric market and Kia’s reputation for value and reliability.
Strategic Collaboration and Shared Success
Though often viewed as separate brands in the eyes of consumers, Hyundai and Kia are intrinsically linked through their parent company, Hyundai Motor Group. Their close collaboration on EV platforms, design philosophies, and shared investments in hydrogen, robotics and mobility-as-a-service ventures gives them a competitive edge few can match.
Hyundai Motor Company, founded in 1967, now operates in over 200 countries and employs more than 120,000 people globally. Its long-term vision ‘Progress for Humanity’ underscores a commitment to technological advancement, sustainability, and inclusive mobility. Investments in areas such as Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), robotics, and open innovation partnerships continue to define Hyundai’s forward-thinking DNA.
These values extend to Kia, which is fast becoming a case study in automotive reinvention. From strong retail and fleet sales to industry-leading electrification strategies, the two brands are not just riding the EV wave – they’re helping shape its direction.
Eyes on the Road Ahead
Looking towards the second half of 2025, there’s little sign that momentum will slow. With Hyundai’s IONIQ 9 rolling into showrooms and Kia’s EV3 continuing its meteoric rise, the battle for EV supremacy is heating up. And with both brands aligned to the UK’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, their continued growth seems all but assured.
Beyond passenger vehicles, both companies are actively expanding their influence in commercial fleets, green technology, and purpose-built vehicles for urban logistics. This kind of versatility positions them well to not only survive but thrive in an evolving mobility landscape.
The market is watching, competitors are reacting, and consumers are responding with their wallets. The first half of 2025 has made one thing abundantly clear: Hyundai and Kia are no longer challengers. They’re frontrunners.
