The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) data shows the highest growth of bus registrations in the UK since 2008.
Bus Market Overview
UK registrations of new buses, coaches and minibuses grew by 10.4% in 2025 to reach 9,259 units, making it the best performance for the market in 17 years, according to the latest figures published today by the SMMT.
Even though the year ended with a 28.4% decline in the fourth quarter, driven by a halving of minibus registrations, this was not enough to detract from a market that remains in robust health as operators across the country continued to invest in the latest mass mobility vehicles.
The 2025 growth was driven by single and double-deck bus and coach deliveries, up by 24.9% and 25.5% to 2,465 and 2,010 units, respectively. Minibus uptake fell by 0.7% to 4,784 units in 2025 as a result of a weak performance in the second half of the year.
Scotland recorded the highest growth of 162.3% to 1,188 units, in part driven by the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund (ScotZEB), a government-backed programme aiming to accelerate the shift to greener bus fleets. England accounted for 82.8% of the market, with registrations up by 4.8% to 7,671 units, while fleet renewal declined in Wales, down by 38.9% to 299 units, and Northern Ireland deliveries grew by 5.2% to 101 units.
The bus and coach sector also retained its position as the UK’s most rapidly decarbonising road segment, with zero emission vehicle uptake rising by 62.2% in 2025 to 2,523 units, representing 27.3% of all new public transport vehicles joining the road.
