- Polestar threatens Tesla number 1 spot in Fleet Alliance’s H1 electric car top 10
- Fleet management and leasing business says record 81% of cars now electrified
- Low company car tax and salary sacrifice creating big switch to electric
CHINESE-owned Swedish brand Polestar is powering up the electric car charts at leasing provider Fleet Alliance and threatening to topple the dominance of Tesla.
According to the Glasgow-based leasing broker’s half year figures for 2025, the Polestar 4 is now at number 2 as the most ordered vehicle, putting the Tesla Model Y’s number 1 spot under intense pressure.
It is no doubt a reflection of the criticism of the US manufacturer’s attitude towards fleet operators in the UK and a continuing downturn in the popularity of the Tesla brand, which has seen sales fall across Europe.
According to analyst Schmidt Automotive Research, Chinese maker BYD is putting Tesla under intense pressure in Europe:
The Model Y's refresh, recording its first full quarter of deliveries during Q2 2025, prevented the Chinese rival from passing Tesla. However, the updated model has only done enough to stabilise volumes and prevent further losses, rather than contribute to a return to growth.
That same pressure is also showing in the Fleet Alliance tables, with the BYD Seal featuring in sixth place, indicative of drivers beginning to reassess traditional brand loyalties versus the tech and value afforded by new Chinese entrants.
So, Who Featured In The Fleet Alliance Top 10 Electric Cars?
1 Tesla Model Y
2 Polestar 4
3 Tesla Model 3
4 BMW i4
5 Volkswagen ID. 7
6 BYD Seal
7 Mercedes-Benz EQA
8 Polestar 2
9 Porsche Macan
10 Mercedes-Benz EQB
Source: Fleet Alliance, H1 2025
Fleet Alliance, which recently became part of the Global Vehicle Group, says its top 10 reflects record order books for electric and hybrid electric cars.
In the first six months of 2025, its new vehicle orders were:
- 45% battery electric vehicles
- 36% hybrids.
This, according to Fleet Alliance, was the highest market share for both model types to date with the current order pipeline exceeding these figures.
Of these vehicles, 70% were funded by business contract hire while salary sacrifice continued to grow in popularity, accounting for 29% of all EVs ordered in the last six months, with just 1% on personal contract hire.
The results are ahead of national figures, with SMMT statistics showing that there have been 254,666 EVs sold so far this year in the UK, a 31% rise on the same period last year, while sales of PHEVs are also up by 31.5% to 124,528 units.
“We are actually outpacing national trends, as we continue to see record orders of BEVs and hybrids,” said Fleet Alliance CEO, Andy Bruce.
“As companies look to reinforce their ESG agendas, the electrification movement continues to gather pace helped by advantageous tax breaks, with a current rate of company car tax of just 5% by 2027/8. That’s a huge financial incentive for would-be company car buyers as well as providing certainty about future tax levels.”
Plug-in hybrids and petrol-electric hybrids, also figure prominently in the most popular vehicles with Fleet Alliance customers, with the Volkswagen Tiguan eHybrid topping the top 10 hybrid sales charts.
Fleet Alliance Top 10 Hybrids
1 Volkswagen Tiguan
2 BMW 3-Series
3 Volvo XC90
4 Cupra Formentor
5 Hyundai Tucson
6 Kia Sportage
7 Volvo XC60
8 Renault Symbioz
9 Toyota Corolla
10 Mercedes-Benz GLC
Source: Fleet Alliance, H1 2025
The wide choice available was a factor in the rise of more environmentally friendly motoring, said Andy Bruce.
“As you can see from our top 10 sales charts, there are now electric cars and hybrids to meet all tastes and budgets.
“And the switch to electric looks set to be given a further boost by the newly announced Electric Car Grant (ECG), with grants from £1,500 to £3,750 off the cost of any new electric car with an initial list price of up to £37,000.
“This will, we believe, enhance the popularity of EVs still further within the business sector.
“Given the wide choice available, we believe there has never been a better time for organisations to offer their staff the opportunity to take advantage of the benefits that exist on electric cars, be that through business contract hire or salary sacrifice. Our forward order banks clearly prove that this is the case,” he added.
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