- New car buyers in the UK have never had more choice when it comes to switching to an EV.
- Statistics published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that around two in five models on sale right now are available in fully-electric form, which translates to over 130 specific EVs on the market.
- Last year, the number of BEVs on the market stood at 102, highlighting the rapid increase.
UK consumers have never had more choice when it comes to EVs
With this new level of choice for potential EV buyers, it’s no surprise that the UK recently recorded its best ever month for EV sales – helping to push the total number of electric vehicles on the roads to over 1.3 million. The increase in electric models has come hand in hand with ever-improving EV technology, with the average range of an electric car now standing at around 300 miles on a full charge, compared to 235 miles last year. Combine that with the 100,000-plus public charge points now dotted across the country, and range anxiety is undoubtedly a thing of the past.
This proportion of models available in fully-electric form is also poised to rise even further in the near future. With the 2030 ZEV mandate getting ever closer, many of the models currently only available in ICE form within the UK’s top 10 best-sellers, such as the Ford Puma, Audi A3, and Nissan Juke and Qashqai, are readying up for fully-electric model launches.
While approximately 40% of all models on the market are available in fully-electric form, EV market share in the UK still stands at around 20.4% – a figure that needs to rise to at least 28% to hit the ZEV target for the end of 2025. To boost demand, the SMMT has been continuously calling for several changes to EV policy. By halving the VAT on new EV purchases, it calculates that this would bring 267,000 additional EVs to the roads instead of ICE vehicles. It has also called for the expensive car supplement to be dropped, and asked for VAT on public charging to be brought into line with that of home charging – something also echoed by many CPOs.
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, commented:
“There’s never been a better time to go electric – with more choice, better vehicle range and improving infrastructure offering a compelling driving proposition. But the market still isn’t moving fast enough so bold support for consumer EV uptake – notably investment in incentives and infrastructure – is needed to accelerate decarbonisation efforts and make switching open to all drivers.”
