The latest car registration data has revealed that UK sales of new electric cars grew by 10% last month as battery electric cars (BEVs) made up 23.2% of UK car registrations in August 2024.
Analysis by New Automotive showed BEVs took a higher market share than at any point since December 2022. Sales of electric motorbikes also rose by 1.3%, although the relatively new markets of electric vans and electric heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) both saw declines, falling by 30.1% and 58.8%, respectively. While these declines seem dramatic, the small number of registrations of these vehicles overall make percentage differences appear much more volatile.
Petrol and diesel car sales continue to fall, with just over a third (35.8%) of new cars being petrol only, while diesel vehicles now hold a market share of just 6.2%. As such, analysts from New Automotive have called a potential 2030 ban on sales of new fossil-fuel powered cars “highly achievable”
Expanding on this, Ben Nelmes, CEO of New Automotive, said: “It is great to see continued growth in the number of people opting for an electric car. Electric cars are much cheaper to run, nicer to drive, and they are key to hitting net zero, so it is great to see more and more people discovering the benefits of going electric. The data also shows a significant fall in sales of purely petrol and diesel cars as consumers shun older, polluting technologies.”
Nelmes added: “The government can have confidence in following through on its manifesto commitment to reintroduce the 2030 ban on sales of petrol and diesel cars. Ministers should also be reassured that the predicted flood of Chinese electric cars is still barely a trickle, and the strong sales data are largely the result of action by European manufacturers.”
In response to this new data, James Court, chief executive of the Electric Vehicle Association (EVA) England, said: “It’s hugely impressive to see August EV sales figures surpass even the ZEV Mandate requirement for 2024. A 10% growth in EVs over just one month is a resounding vote of confidence from drivers that EVs are now very much part of the mainstream mix and rival petrol and diesel as a more cost-effective, simpler, and more enjoyable prospect.
“We’ve seen similar signs in EVA England’s latest driver survey, with for the first time an equal number of drivers reporting switching to an EV for cost considerations rather than an environmental choice. EVs are a means of A to B first and foremost, and more drivers are finding they comfortably fit their day-to-day needs.”
