More electric cars have been bought so far in 2022 than over the entirety of 2020, according to new data from New Automotive.
In the first full month since the government scrapped its plug-in car grant on 14 June, sales dropped slightly, with year-on-year total car registrations down 8% in July 2022 compared with July 2021.
But the electric vehicle (EV) market is continuing to grow nonetheless, and in July accounted for 11.1% of the market with 11,240 pure EVs registered.
“In the first full month since the government axed the plug-in car grant, electric car sales have continued to grow, bucking broader market trends during a generally disappointing month for overall car sales,” said Ben Nelmes, co-founder and head of policy at New Automotive.
“However, the UK can and should be targeting higher electric cars sales to reduce motoring costs, wean ourselves off Russian diesel and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In a month that saw record-shattering temperatures, it’s disappointing that 60% of new cars bought are still fossil fuelled.”
Throughout July, the number of diesel cars registered remained at historic low levels, accounting for just one in ten new cars bought. Meanwhile, the sale of petrol cars has still not recovered to the levels seen before the pandemic.
“July’s soft growth in electric car sales is a warning light on the dashboard,” continued Nelmes.
“The axing of the plug-in car grant was inevitable, but it has left a gaping hole in government policy on zero emission cars. The next government should move at pace to introduce a California-style ZEV mandate that boosts EV sales and reduces EV prices, and to improve access to the growing second hand EV market for car-dependent households.”
