The latest edition of The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) annual Sustainability Report urges continued collaboration between the government and the automotive industry to boost EV uptake across the UK.
The 26th annual edition of the report, which covers the year 2024, notes that over 380,000 new EV cars were sold last year. Additionally, while overall car and commercial vehicle production in the UK – including petrol and diesel vehicles – fell by 11.7%, 21.4% more zero emission cars were registered, making up a 19.6% market share across the year. Furthermore, zero emission vans saw a 3.3% spike in registrations, but overall market share remained stagnant at 6.3%.
In total, UK factories produced 275,896 battery electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid cars, a decline of 20.4% from the previous year but still making up a total of 35.4% of overall UK automotive output.
As such, both the UK car and van markets failed to meet the market shares required by the UK’s Zero Emissions Vehicle mandate introduced last year, which stands at 22% for cars and 10% for vans. However, on a more positive note, the UK had the strongest battery electric vehicle market in Europe last year.
While demand for electric light commercial vehicles rose by only 3.3% to 22,155 units in 2024, the SMMT notes that sales volumes of these vehicles sharply increased by 52.8% in the first half of 2025 to reach an 8.6% market share. However, this is still only a little over half of the 16% ZEV mandate requirement for electric vans for the year 2025.
Furthermore, the number of automotive manufacturing facilities across both the EV and fossil fuel-powered manufacturing sectors generating their own renewable energy onsite has risen sharply in the past year. Automotive plants generated a total of 60.3GWh of renewable electricity last year, almost a third more than was generated in 2023. While this is undoubtedly positive, the report notes that lengthy grid connection times are making it incredibly difficult for other automotive plants to follow this trend, something which SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes calls “a direct competitiveness issue” for manufacturers already pushed by the highest electricity prices in Europe.
Commenting on the report, Hawes stated: “Throughout the transition to net zero, our industry must continue to attract inward investment to ensure zero emission vehicles and batteries are manufactured in the UK, supporting jobs and the wider economy. This requires an aligned approach to regulation and policy across all government departments, based around the fulfilment of the objectives set out in the Industrial and Trade Strategies. By working together, the automotive industry will deliver for the economy, producing cutting-edge technologies, driving exports and growth. Government and industry have a shared ambition for a UK automotive ecosystem fit for a zero-emission future.”
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