For the second month in a row, EVs were the only fuel type to grow the number of new cars registered and the share of the market. EVs now represent 1 in 6 of all new vehicle registrations, with demand being driven by EVs now just costing a fifth per mile in comparison to traditional petrol and diesel vehicles.
Despite the petrol and diesel ICE ban coming into place from 2030, the government has only requested that manufacturers bring their sales of EVs up to 22% by the end of 2024. With current full EV sales already at 16%, up from this time of 10% last year, it’s clear the government targets are lagging behind consumer demand.
This data is from New AutoMotive’s Electric Car Count (ECC) – the most up-to-date and comprehensive electric car sales data in the UK.
It’s a no-brainer
Ben Nelmes, co-founder and head of policy, said: “Electric car sales defied gravity in June, continuing to grow while overall new car registrations were down by a quarter. Rising petrol and diesel prices are driving consumers towards electric cars, which are 80% cheaper per mile, but the supply of vehicles cannot keep pace with demand.
“We hear that delivery times for electric cars are now between 40 weeks and a year. The supply of electric vehicles is the biggest barrier to cleaner road transport in the UK.
“The government’s planned California-style ZEV mandate should help attract a greater supply of electric cars to the UK, but their proposed target that car manufacturers should make 22% of their sales fully electric in 2024 looks likely to fall behind where the market is headed. It is vital that those targets keep pace with the market to attract more electric vehicles to the UK.
“Stronger targets would give consumers the cars they want, reduce the cost of motoring, reduce the UK’s reliance on Russian diesel and cut carbon emissions: it’s a no-brainer.”