Sales of electric vehicles rise by nearly 25% as UK hits all-electric accelerator pedal

New figures from industry the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said 144,288 new cars were registered in October compared to 153,529 during the same month last year.

The fall was driven by double-digit drops in petrol and diesel vehicle deliveries, down 14.2% and 20.5% respectively, with the overall 6% drop equivalent to a £350 million loss in turnover.

And while there was a 1.6% decline in the uptake of hybrid electric vehicles (EVs), and a 3.2% fall in registrations of plug-in hybrid EVs, pure battery EVs bucked the trend with growth of 24.5% amid the introduction of a raft of new models and heavy discounting.

The news comes after last month midlands-manufacturer JLR revealed it currently has over 48,000 clients on the waiting list for Range Rover Electric, which is the first in a line‑up of zero emissions luxury electric vehicles from its brands and one of six electric cars that JLR plans to launch by 2026 across the Land Rover and Jaguar line-ups.

“Massive manufacturer investment in model choice and market support is helping make the UK the second largest EV market in Europe," said SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes.

“That transition, however, must not perversely slow down the reduction of carbon emissions from road transport.

“Fleet renewal across the market remains the quickest way to decarbonise, so diminishing overall uptake is not good news for the economy, for investment or for the environment.

“EVs already work for many people and businesses, but to shift the entire market at the pace demanded requires significant intervention on incentives, infrastructure and regulation.”

Ian Plummer, commercial director at online vehicle marketplace Auto Trader, said "heavy discounting" means electric vehicles are taking a bigger share of the market despite a "lagging" market for new vehicle registrations in the UK.

“The subdued petrol and diesel sales are also likely to be driven by the efforts of manufacturers to hit EV sales targets under the zero emissions vehicles (Zev) mandate," he said.

“Manufacturers are making significant efforts to bridge the price gap to electrics – as shown by the 12% discounts on Auto Trader’s site in October – but the market is still not achieving the volumes needed.”

The Zev mandate requires at least 22% of new cars sold by each manufacturer in the UK this year to be zero emission, which in most cases means pure electric. The figure will rise to 28% in 2025.

Manufacturers face being required to pay the Government £15,000 per polluting vehicle sold above the limits, or purchase credits from rival companies.

The SMMT said pure battery EVs represented 18.1% of the new car market during the first 10 months of the year.

A Department for Transport spokesman said the Government was "absolutely committed" to delivering greener transport by supporting the transition to electric vehicles.

“Today’s figures are excellent news, showing that electric vehicle sales in October are up a quarter compared to this time last year," they said.

“With a market share of almost 21%, the UK is now the second largest electric vehicle market in Europe.

“We will continue to support industry and consumers to make the switch, with over £300 million announced in the Budget to support uptake.”