The data from New AutoMotive’s Electric Car Count (ECC) shows that both petrol and diesel registrations remained steady, whilst hybrid sales fell. Electric car sales appear to have grown at the expense of hybrid sales, with consumers increasingly preferring fully electric cars to hybrids.
Among the mass market brands, BMW made a strong showing in August – last year only one in 20 new BMWs sold was fully electric; in August, electric models were responsible for just over 25% of their total sales.
Regional highlights
Below are tracked regional registrations using a three-month rolling average, which masks big variations in EV market share from month to month. The DVLA regions with the highest share of EVs are as follows:
- Oxfordshire – 32%
- Anglia – 27%
- North East England – 21%
- London – 19%
- Birmingham – 17%
Ben Nelmes, co-founder and head of policy of New AutoMotive, said: “As the cost-of-living crisis worsens, UK motorists continue to turn towards cheaper-to-run electric vehicles. Even with the increase in the Ofgem price cap for electricity in October, EVs will continue to offer running cost savings compared to ICE models.
Government should consider incentives
“With the price of oil still at around $100 per barrel, it looks extremely unlikely that petrol or diesel cars will be able to compete with EVs on running costs in the near future.
“The new prime minister and transport secretary should make EVs a key part of their response to the cost-of-living crisis. The new government should consider incentives for leasing new and second-hand electric vehicles and interest-free finance to help the most car-dependent families get access to the benefits of going electric.”
“An early win for the new transport secretary would be to announce strong targets for electric car sales as part of the California-style ZEV mandate, which is due to be unveiled later this autumn.”