Sales of electric vehicles (EVs) soared during 2015 according to new figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
The figures show that while the overall UK auto market grew by 6.3% last year, sales of pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids grew by 48.3% and 133% respectively. While still representing a tiny proportion of the UK market’s 2.63 million vehicles of all fuel types, the growth of EVs was more marked than ever before, with alternatively fuelled vehicles securing the biggest ever market share of 2.8% for a year
Petrol and diesel hybrids also enjoyed growing sales throughout the year, with almost 45,000 sold in 2015.
Mike Hawes, chief executive of the SMMT, said: “The new car market defied expectations in 2015, hitting an all time record driven by strong consumer and business confidence. Buyers took advantage of attractive finance deals and low inflation to secure some of the most innovative, high tech and fuel efficient vehicles ever produced.
The figures also revealed that the number of new cars eligible for the government’s Plug-in Car Grant rose to 28,188, marking an increase of 94% on 2014. The scheme offers a grant of up to £5,000 for drivers to use when purchasing new EVs or plug-in hybrids. The grant scheme was recently extended to the end of March 2018, with the amount available for EVs dropping to £4,500.
Speaking in December to promote the extension of the grant scheme, transport minister Andrew Jones said: “The UK is a world leader in the uptake of low emission vehicles and the Plug-in Car Grant has been key to that success. Extending the grant in a sustainable way ensures more than 100,000 people will benefit from financial support when purchasing these cheap-to-run and green cars.
“We are determined to keep Britain at the forefront of the technology, increasing our support for plug-in vehicles to £600 million over the next five years to cut emissions, create jobs and support our cutting-edge industries.”
The release of the SMMT figures follows the news that Kia has become the latest manufacturer to join the Go Ultra Low campaign, an initiative backed by the UK government to increase the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles in the UK.
In a statement released today, Jones added: “The UK has one of the fastest growing ultra-low emission vehicle markets in the world and I warmly welcome Kia to the Go Ultra Low campaign. It is another example of leading car and van manufacturers sharing our ambitions for this exciting and increasingly popular technology.”
