The UK Independence party, which promised to shake up the general election by commanding at least 5% of the vote, fell well short of its target and failed to pick up a seat.
The party aimed to woo at least 1 million voters with its anti-European message, but only polled just over 900,000, 3% of the vote.
But Ukip insisted that although it was disappointed at failing to win a seat it had put in a "solid" performance, and had increased its number of votes by 50% since the 2005 election.
Its main target was Buckingham, held by John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons. But the party's candidate, former leader Nigel Farage, who was lucky to be alive after the light aircraft in which he was travelling crashed in Northamptonshire on Thursday, failed to make an impact and finished in third place.
Before the election, Lord Tebbit gave his tacit support for Farage, arguing that Bercow could not "describe himself as a Conservative any more" and suggested that Tories would look for another alternative; but Bercow survived easily, with a majority of more than 12,000.
Ludlow, another target for Ukip, was held by Conservative Philip Dunne with 52.8% of the vote, with Ukip coming in fourth place, polling 2,127 and only 4.4% of the vote.
In Labour-held Barking, also targeted by the anti-Europe party, Ukip's Frank Maloney only managed 1,300 votes, coming in fifth place with 2.9%.
But there was some cheer for the party in Boston and Skegness where it managed to attract 4,081 votes, and 9.5% of votes polled, putting it into fourth place.
According to the party it performed well in some constituencies in the south-west and east of England.
In Essex, Ukip's Jesse Pryke was up 0.6% on 2005 in Maldon, with 5.1% of the vote and 2,446 votes in fourth place, ahead of the BNP's 1,464.
Simon Anselmi was also up 1.5% in Harwich and Essex North, beating the BNP with 2,527 votes and 5.2% of the vote, and in Braintree, Ukip's Michael Ford gained 2,477 votes and 5% of the vote, again, ahead of the BNP.
Ukip fielded 560 candidates and was anticipating a higher success rate in keeping their deposits, which the party managed in only 47 seats five years ago. The result was up on the 603,000 votes it won nationally in 2005 when it had around 2% of the vote, Ukip said.
In Buckingham, Farage's election agent, Dave Fowler, said in a statement on behalf of the former party leader: "I assure Ukip voters and supporters that although we have lost this battle, the war carries on."