- The latest UK car and commercial vehicle manufacturing statistics from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that production figures saw a 11.9% decrease in the first half of 2025, but there are early signs of EV manufacturing beginning to plug this decline and bring manufacturing figures back up.
- Despite overall vehicle output falling, electrified car production (covering BEVs, PHEVs, and mild hybrids) stood at 160,107 units, a rise of 1.8% over the previous period.
- With more EVs set to be built in Britain in the coming years, and the introduction of schemes such as the DRIVE35 programme and the Electric Car Grant, could these figures improve in the years to come?
Electrified car production continues to rise in the UK
Whilst the SMMT’s prediction that the around 755,000 vehicles will be produced in the UK by the end of the year, a 15% drop over the previous year, it also predicts that by the end of 2026, total production will stand at 803,000 units, a 6.4% rise – with an increasing proportion of those units being EVs.
EVs already contributing to that overall figure include the fully-electric Stellantis vans built at the Ellesmere Port plant, but with a broad number of fully-electric vehicles set to be produced in the UK over the next few years, EVs are set to play an even bigger role in UK vehicle production figures. The third-generation Nissan Leaf will be built at Nissan’s Sunderland plant, and looking further ahead, fully-electric iterations of its Juke and Qashqai models will also be produced at the plant. MINI also plans to move production of its fully-electric Cooper to Oxford, complementing its existing production in China, though this has been delayed for the forseeable future. Similarly, the Range Rover Electric will also be manufactured in the UK, with a customer launch set for 2026.
UK-built EVs are also likely to perform better when it comes to the recently-introduced Electric Car Grant, which requires high environmental criteria to meet the highest grant level. If Nissan’s third-generation Leaf is eligible for this grant, this could be another major boost to the UK’s EV manufacturing industry. The government is also hoping to boost the UK EV R&D and manufacturing industry further through its £2.5 billion DRIVE35 programme, which will target a number of EV-related projects, including mass manufacturing of British-built electric vehicles.
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, commented:
“Global economic uncertainty and trade protectionism have taken their toll on automotive production across the globe, with the UK no exception. The figures are not, therefore, unexpected but remain very disappointing. However, there are foundations for a return to growth. The industry is moving to the technologies that will be the future of mobility, our engineering excellence, highly-skilled workforce and global reputation are strengths, and we have an Industrial Strategy with advanced manufacturing and automotive at its core. With rapid delivery and the right conditions, UK Automotive can reverse the current decline and deliver the jobs, economic growth and decarbonisation that Britain needs.”
