Aim To investigate the association of urinary glucose excretion with levels of serum uric acid in adults with newly diagnosed diabetes. Methods A total of 597 people with newly diagnosed diabetes, confirmed in an oral glucose tolerance test, were included in the present study. The participants were divided into two groups: 142 participants with low urinary glucose excretion and 455 with high urinary glucose excretion. Demographic characteristics and clinical variables were evaluated. The association of urinary glucose excretion with uric acid was analysed using multivariable regression analysis. Results The low urinary glucose excretion group had a significantly higher prevalence of hyperuricaemia than the high urinary glucose excretion group. Moreover, urinary glucose excretion was negatively associated with uric acid level. The correlation remained significant after adjusting for potential confounders, including gender, age, fasting plasma glucose, 2‐h plasma glucose and BMI. The results also showed that participants with high urinary glucose excretion were at decreased risk of hyperuricaemia (odds ratio 0.47, 95% CI 0.27–0.80; P = 0.006). Conclusion Urinary glucose excretion was independently associated with uric acid level in participants with newly diagnosed diabetes. In addition to lowering blood glucose, promoting urinary glucose excretion may also be an effective approach to reducing serum uric acid levels, especially for people with diabetes complicated with hyperuricaemia. What's new? Serum uric acid levels are reported to be decreased in people treated with sodium‐glucose co‐transporter‐2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, which improve glycaemic control by promoting urinary glucose excretion (UGE); however, to date, few studies have focused on the correlation between UGE and serum uric acid. Urinary glucose excretion was found to be negatively correlated with serum uric acid after adjustment for potential confounders. Moreover, individuals with high UGE were at decreased risk of hyperuricaemia. In addition to lowering blood glucose, promoting UGE may also be an effective approach to reducing serum uric acid levels.