Practically 1 / 4 of autos offered within the UK final month have been battery electrical (BEV) fashions, in keeping with trade figures.
Greater than 72,000 new BEVs have been registered in September, accounting for 23.3% of the overall market, the Society for Motor Producers and Merchants (SMMT) mentioned.
It described the figures – a 29% rise on the 56,000 BEVs offered in September 2024 – as “the very best month on document for BEV volumes”.
The motor foyer group attributed the rise to the federal government’s Electric Car Grant scheme, in addition to components such because the “ever-increasing alternative of fashions” within the sector.
Greater than 20,000 customers have taken benefit for the reason that £650m grant scheme was launched earlier this summer season. It affords reductions of as much as £3,750 on 36 electrical fashions.
Total, the SMMT mentioned simply over 50% of the 312,887 new autos registered final month have been electric models, together with each hybrid and battery varieties.
The overall variety of newly registered vehicles and different autos was up practically 14% in comparison with final yr, the very best September efficiency since 2020, it added.
Producers have been set a goal of guaranteeing 28% of autos offered this yr have to be electrical, though the mandate was relaxed earlier this year to incorporate hybrid in addition to battery-only vehicles.
Mike Hawes, chief government of the SMMT, mentioned: “Electrified autos are powering market development after a sluggish summer season – and with document ZEV [zero emission vehicles] uptake, large trade funding is paying off, regardless of demand nonetheless trailing ambition.
“The Electrical Automobile Grant will assist to interrupt down one of many obstacles holding again extra drivers from making the swap – and tackling remaining roadblocks, by unlocking infrastructure funding and driving down power prices, will probably be essential to the success of the trade and the environmental objectives we share.”
Nevertheless, the SMMT mentioned extra nonetheless wanted to be performed to “re-energise” personal patrons to change to electrical.
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Commenting on the figures, Colin Walker, from the Power and Local weather Intelligence Unit, mentioned: “Demand for electrical vehicles is up once more and factoring within the flexibilities the automobile trade lobbied for within the UK’s EV coverage, gross sales at the moment are forward of the place they have to be to hit this yr’s goal.
“That will be two years in a row that the targets would have been hit and drivers are making tons of of kilos of financial savings annually by making the swap to electrical.”
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander added: “Our reductions have sparked a surge in electrical automobile gross sales, making them cheaper and inside attain of extra households than ever earlier than.”
