Sri Lanka registered 48,525 vehicles in December 2025, up from 43,810 in November, reflecting a year-end increase. This brought the total number of vehicles registered for the year to 360,117, marking the first full year of vehicle imports after a five-year hiatus.
A breakdown by category showed that 5,007 motor cars were registered in December, up from 3,691 in November, according to a monthly report by JB Securities.
Of these, 1,150 were brand-new cars, up from 781 in November. BYD led new car registrations with 408 units, followed by BAW with 283 units. Total BYD registrations for December rose to 850 units from 287 in November, with the Dolphin model at 264 units, Atto 2 at 123 units, and Atto 1 at 145 units.
Toyota ranked third with 191 units, largely driven by the Wigo model, which accounted for 185 registrations.
Pre-owned motor car registrations reached 3,857 in December, up from 2,910 in November. Premium passenger vehicles also increased to 187 units from 145 in November, including notable registrations of a Porsche Macan, a Jaguar F-Pace, a Bentley Bentayga, and a Rolls-Royce Ghost.
JB Securities Managing Director Murtaza Jafferjee said these premium vehicle purchases contribute significantly to government revenue. He noted that, despite high import taxes, such purchases do not misuse scarce foreign exchange and help reduce fiscal deficits.
Electric vehicle registrations reached 3,220 in December, slightly higher than 3,158 in November, suggesting that initial enthusiasm for EVs has moderated.
Three-wheeler registrations increased to 3,007 from 2,423, while two-wheelers rose to 30,415 from 29,961 in November.
