According to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the UK’s new car market recorded its second successive month of growth in September, with registrations rising 4.6 per cent.
This is the month of the new number plate change that usually sees increases. Once again electric vehicle (EV) sales in the UK continued to rise with the second highest monthly volume of battery electric vehicle (BEV) registrations in history.
Electric vehicle registrations were up 16.5 per cent to 38,116 units in September. This was up from 32,721 for the same month in 2021. What’s also impressive is that Tesla Model Y electric car was the second best seller of all vehicles for the month of September. It was also the eighth best selling vehicle so far this year.
Although registrations of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) declined by 11.5 per cent to 12,281 units, overall plug-in vehicles accounted for more than one in five new cars joining UK roads in the month.
As a result, almost a quarter of a million (249,575) have now been registered in 2022. This means that UK drivers and fleets have now registered more than one million plug-in electric cars, a quarter of which in this year alone.
So far this year battery electric vehicle (BEV) registrations total 175,615. For the same period last year, this was 125,141 and accounts for a 40 per cent increase year-to-date. This also accounts for a 14.5 per cent market share of all vehicles sold so far in 2022 and is up from 9.5 per cent for the same period in 2021.
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said, “September has seen Britain’s millionth electric car reach the road – an important milestone in the shift to zero emission mobility.
“Battery electric vehicles make up but a small fraction of cars on the road, so we need to ensure every lever is pulled to encourage motorists to make the shift if our green goals are to be met.
“The overall market remains weak, however, as supply chain issues continue to constrain model availability. Whilst the industry is working hard to address these issues, the long-term recovery of the market also depends on robust consumer confidence and economic stability.”
