- The latest new car registration figures from the UK’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that registrations of new electric cars continue to rise, with 47,354 electric cars registered in the month of June, equating to a market share of 24.8%.
- That compares to 34,034 electric cars registered in June 2024, marking an impressive 39.1% year-on-year increase.
- As the UK gets closer to its 2030 EV mandate, sales rises like these will need to continue for this mandate to be a success.
The UK saw over 47,000 new electric cars registered in June
The figures now mean that one in four new car buyers are going electric, helped along partly by the increasing number of affordable electric cars on the market, but also the ever improving range and capabilities of electric cars. That’s not to forget the diversity of the electric cars on offer now, with over 130 specific electric models on sale in the UK. There really is an EV for every purpose. For the month of June, the Tesla Model Y came out as the best selling electric car in the country. This is something of a rebound for Tesla, who have seen faltering sales figures across much of Europe in the previous months.
However, the SMMT have still called for further action to be taken to boost EV sales. This includes the removal of most EVs from the newly-introduced expensive car supplement, as well as cutting the VAT on both new EVs and public charging.
How has the industry reacted to the figures?
Nick Williams, Managing Director of Lex Autolease, commented:
“It’s an exciting time for the electric vehicle market; technology is moving fast, and drivers now have access to a much broader range of affordable electric models. The second-hand EV market is also on the rise, with Tusker’s pre-owned models being taken up within just 10 days on average.
To keep this momentum going, it’s important that we tackle the common misconceptions that may prevent drivers from making the switch, such as battery durability. Today’s EV batteries are built to go the distance and every new car comes with at least an eight-year, 100,000-mile battery warranty.”
Jamie Hamilton, automotive partner and head of electric vehicles at Deloitte, said:
“A second consecutive month of growth in the new car market, with registrations reaching their highest June levels since 2019, is a positive sign for the sector, with uplifts across fleets and battery electric vehicles driving this reassuring growth. This comes as the government further reinforced its commitment to the sector with the Industrial Strategy, setting out positive ambitions for the automotive industry, with priority set on building the next generation of vehicles.
As sales of battery electric vehicles continued to rise, and with the goal for Zero Emission Vehicles hot on the agenda, the goal now must be for electric vehicles to be supported by accessible, consumer-friendly infrastructure.”
While these levels of electric car registrations are impressive, there’s still concern that market share levels are not rising fast enough to comply with the ZEV mandate – which bans new petrol and diesel cars from 2035, and bans new hybrid sales from 2035. New research from Auto Trader corroborates this concern, with 80% of UK drivers believing the government won’t stick to its 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars. Calls for the UK to mirror the policies of EV success stories such as Norway are only getting stronger.
