Whether you're ready to take the plunge and switch to a 100% electric car or sticking with a petrol, diesel or hybrid, there are plenty of tempting new cars coming in 2025.
A record 382,000 electric vehicles (EVs) were sold in 2024. But most drivers still chose petrol, while some 420,000 opted for full and plug-in hybrids and 123,000 plumped for diesel, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
Most of the coolest new cars coming out in 2025 are pure electric, but there are still plenty of petrol and hybrid powered cars worth considering.
As you’ll see from our list below, one of the biggest growth areas over the next year will be in the compact SUV market with a raft of new launches.
It’ll also be a year when more new value-for-money Chinese brands are introduced, including Jaecoo, Haval, Leapmotor and Skywell.
Toyota Urban Cruiser
Slotting below Toyota's first all-electric vehicle, the awkwardly named bZ4X, the Urban Cruiser, is likely to become a more familiar sight on UK roads.
Developed alongside the similar Suzuki e Vitara (also due for release in 2025), it will have two battery options: 49kWh or 61kWh.
Unlike some compact SUV rivals, there will also be a dual-motor, all-wheel drive version. Expect a range of up to 250 miles and a ticket price in the region of £30,000.
Skoda Elroq
The stylish Elroq follows the larger Enyaq and is Skoda's second EV. Another new compact SUV, it also has the Kia EV3, Smart #1 and Volvo EX30 firmly in its sights.
Smart, spacious and packed with tech, there are three versions to choose from - the 50, 60 and 85.
The 50 gets a 52kWh battery and an official range of 232 miles, the 60 has a larger 59kWh unit that lifts the range to 260 miles, while the 85's 77kWh battery gives it an impressive 360-mile range.
The Skoda Elroq will be priced from £31,500.
Hyundai Inster
South Korea's Hyundai is another manufacturer targeting the affordable end of the EV market in 2025.
Priced from just £23,495, the intriguing all-electric Inster is dinky on the outside, yet big on the inside.
The Standard Range has a 39kWh battery, giving a range of 203 miles, while the 46kWh Long Range version can manage up to 229 miles.
Renault 4 E-Tech
By dipping into its substantial back catalogue, Renault is doing a fantastic job of reinventing iconic cars for the electric age.
Following the Renault 5, the utilitarian '4' is the latest model to be sprinkled with retro magic dust.
Next year should see the UK launch of the Twingo E-Tech - the cute city car of the 1990s resurrected as a little EV.
Originally produced between 1961 to 1994, the new Renault 4 is a more practical than the '5' hatchback and is one of the many compact SUVs launching in 2025.
Electric-only, it will be offered with two battery options. The 40kWh should manage around 186 miles of range, while the larger 52kWh battery will provide more power and a 250-mile range.
Dacia Bigster
It's amazing to think that Dacia only launched in the UK in 2013. Since then, Renault's budget brand has sold more than 250,000 cars.
The latest value-for-money offering is the all-new Bigster, which is expected to start at less than £30,000.
Topping the range above the Duster, it’s a budget-friendly alternative to family SUVs such as the Kia Sportage, Nissan Qashqai, Volkswagen Tiguan and Hyundai Tucson.
Offering an impressive 667 litres boot capacity and generous rear passenger space, it’ll be available with a choice of mild and full hybrid engines - and four-wheel drive.
Volkswagen ID.2
The production version of VW's ID.2all concept (pictured) should hit UK showrooms in 2025.
The smallest and cheapest member of Volkswagen's ID family of EVs so far, the ID.2 supermini is expected to cost between £20-25,000.
Although ideally suited to urban driving, it has two battery size options (38kWh and 56kWh), delivering around 200 miles and 280 miles of range respectively.
The ID.2 could end up being one of 2025’s most important new electric cars.
Citroen C5 Aircross
If the all-new Citroen C5 Aircross is anything like the concept unveiled at the 2024 Paris Motor Show, then we're in for a treat.
With its bold, futuristic styling, it promises to be a family SUV like no other. Bigger and more spacious than the outgoing model, it will be available as an EV (73kWh or 98kWh battery packs) and will deliver expected ranges of 320 and 430 miles respectively.
If you're not ready to go fully electric, then mild hybrid petrol and plug-in hybrid versions will also be available.
Fiat Grande Panda
Sporting retro Fiat Panda styling, the cute Grande Panda compact crossover will be available with either mild hybrid or full electric power.
Affordable and practical, the EV version is likely to start at around £22,000 and its small 44kWh battery will be capable of 199 miles on a full charge.
And as if that isn’t tempting enough, the petrol-engined Grande Panda could start at less than £20,000. Its rivals will include the new Citroen C3 and Citroen e-C3 twins.
Range Rover Electric
After lots of teasing prototype pictures, the first fully electric version of the venerable Range Rover will finally go on sale in 2025.
Billed as "the most capable electric luxury SUV", we expect it to have a battery pack of around 100kWh and a range of between 350-400 miles, plus a fast-charging system.
No word on price yet either, but with regular Range Rovers starting at £104,025, a figure closer to £150,000 might be more realistic.
Without doubt, this will be one of the best new luxury cars of 2025.
Alpine A290
As we mentioned earlier, Renault’s retro-cool EV options already include a reborn '5' (the much-loved supermini was originally produced between 1972–1996).
A hot hatch version from Renault's performance brand, Alpine, will be released in 2025.
It comes with a 52kWh battery and it's available with two power outputs - 178bhp or 217bhp - giving claimed 0-62mph times of 7.4 seconds and 6.4 seconds respectively and ranges of 236 miles and 226 miles.
Its EV hot hatch rivals include the Smart #1 Brabus, MINI John Cooper Works Electric Sport and Abarth 500e, plus the bigger Hyundai Ioniq 5N.
Jaecoo 7
Like Omoda, which launched in the UK during 2024, Jaecoo is another brand from Chinese giant Chery, and the Jaecoo J7 is the debut model.
About the same size as a Kia Sportage, it's a distinctive SUV that promises ‘affordable luxury’ with the likes of the Audi Q3, BMW X1 and Volkswagen Tiguan in its sights.
There will be petrol and plug-in hybrid versions too - the former with all-wheel drive. However, it's the pricing that will raise eyebrows - the range starts at just £29,435.
Other cars worth looking out for in 2025 include the Ford Puma Gen-E, Kia EV3, Vauxhall Frontera, Alpine A390, Cupra Tavascan and the Honda Prelude.
Gareth Herincx
Motoring journalist
I'm an experienced journalist, digital editor and copywriter, now specialising in motoring. I’m editor of Automotive Blog and have worked across the media in newspapers, magazines, TV, teletext, radio and online for household names including the BBC, GMTV, ITV and MSN. I’ve produced digital content in the financial sector for Lloyds Bank, Nationwide and the Money Advice Service. I'm married with two children and live near Bath in Somerset.
