Among the top nine vehicle manufacturers in the UK, one in four sales in February were electric vehicles (EVs), according to New AutoMotive.
Most of the high-volume manufacturers have managed to transition the sale of vehicles to electric cars, however, the top three, Genesis, Jaguar and Porsche – all three niche brands – have low-volume sales.
Mercedes-Benz, ranked fourth in February, had 31% of its sales from EVs, while Volvo (fifth), Audi (sixth) and Kia (ninth) all sold over one in four of their cars as electric.
Sales of new electric cars rose by 16% year-on-year in February, despite the overall share of EVs in the market dropping slightly as both petrol and hybrids helped drive the increase in registrations.
Tesla had the most sales of EVs in February 2023 and sold one in every five new electric cars registered, followed by Audi with nearly 10% market share, doubling its EVs sales year-on-year from 456 in February 2022 to 1,063 last month.
During the month of February, there were 10,978 EVs sold, a 16% year-on-year increase, while hybrids registered 17,161 sales last month.
Even though improvements have been made in the supply of EVs, high demand and limited supply have caused waiting times of up to 18 months for new electric cars in the UK.
Ben Nelmes, CEO at New AutoMotive, said: “The fact that there continues to be long waiting times for new electric cars underscores how consumers and businesses are embracing electric cars.”
With the Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) mandate set to take effect in 2024, it will be crucial to meet the increasing demand for EVs in order to achieve the phase-out of internal combustion engine vehicles.
“To sustain the UK’s progress towards electric transport, the government needs to try harder to increase the supply of electric vehicles to the UK,” added Nelmes.
For a seventh month in a row, the UK new car market continued to grow by 26.2%, despite February being a month with a low volume of sales, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
With the highest growth of all types of vehicles in February, hybrids sold 9,633 units in the UK, a 40% increase from the 6,883 registered in February 2022.
Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) continue to increase its sales year-on-year with 12,310 registered in February 2023, up 18.2% from February 2022.
So far this year, there have been 29,607 sales of BEVs, while there were 24,850 for the same period last year.
Moreover, almost half a million (488,000) plug-in hybrid vehicles and BEVs are expected to be added to the roads in Britain in 2023, increasing the demand for charging infrastructure which is lacking behind the accelerated growth of EV sales.
Mike Hawes, CEO at SMMT, said: “After seven months of growth, it is no surprise that the UK automotive sector is facing the future with growing confidence. It is vital, however, that government takes every opportunity to back the market, which plays a significant role in Britain’s economy and net zero ambition. As we move into ‘new plate month’ in March, with more of the latest high-tech cars available, the upcoming Budget must deliver measures that drive this transition, increasing affordability and ease of charging for all.”