Executive summary
Seat pre-registered more cars than all other brands combined in December, according to SMMT figures. The brand logged 573 pre-registrations, far outpacing rivals and concentrating year-end activity.
Key figures
- 573 Seat pre-registered vehicles in December
- Gross revenue value: £9,229,237 (≈ £16,100 per vehicle)
- Seat December UK registrations: 1,400; pre-registrations ≈ 41% of the month’s total
- Full-year 2025 Seat UK registrations: 23,015 (-37.4% YoY) vs market +3.47%
- December YoY change for Seat: down 36% to 1,400 vehicles
Brand breakdown in December pre-registrations (selected)
- Renault: 17
- Dacia: 14
- Volkswagen: 9
- Audi: 6
- Skoda: 4
- Combined total for the above: 50 vs Seat’s 573 (Seat represented >90% among these named brands)
Regulatory definition and why it matters
Under the UK’s Supply of New Cars Order 2000, a pre-registered car is a new car that a supplier registers before agreeing final terms with an end user. The order excludes cars retained for at least three months, such as dealer demonstrators. Pre-registrations count in new-car statistics but indicate stock moved onto the road before a named-customer sale, so spikes can signal inventory clearing or efforts to meet year-end targets.
Interpretation
- December’s pre-registration distribution was unusually lopsided, with Seat carrying the bulk of volume.
- Seat’s heavy reliance on pre-registrations contrasts with its sharp annual decline, diverging from overall market growth by roughly 41 percentage points.
- No model or regional breakdown was provided, limiting deeper diagnostics.
What to watch next
- Upcoming SMMT releases to see whether December’s concentration persists or normalizes across brands.
- Potential effects on nearly new supply and retail pricing in early 2026.
