One in four new cars sold last month were fully electric battery vehicles, the latest figures have revealed.
A 23 per cent year-on-year rise in electric car sales in October to 36,800 — to account for 25.4 per cent of the market — was vastly outpacing total registrations, which were up just 0.5 per cent to 144,948.
In the year to date the number of new electric cars sold has increased by 87,000 to 386,000. That effectively accounted for the growth in registrations in the first ten months of the year, up 65,000 or 3.9 per cent at 1.72 million.
The increase in electric sales coincided with the renewal of incentives for buyers in a subsidy, the electric car grant, of up to £3,750 on a zero-emission vehicle retailing at up to £37,000.
Tesla’s UK sales continued their downward trend
GILLIAN PULLINGER/ALAMY
While sales of the electric market leader Tesla continue to fall, down 3.6 per cent in the year to date in Britain at 37,500 units, some legacy carmakers and entrants from China are accelerating fast.
Data from the electric vehicle consultancy New Automotive shows that Volkswagen electric sales are up 67 per cent year on year to 28,800.
Ford is finally getting electric cars into customers’ hands and has more than tripled its zero-emission vehicle sales to 22,100.
BYD, the Chinese market leader, has seen its electric sales rise 250 per cent this year to 21,000.
The October data shows that electrified vehicles — pure-electric at 36,800, plug-in hybrids at 17,600, or hybrid petrol-battery at 19,200 — together have outsold cars that run solely on a petrol engine, which have fallen 11 per cent in the month to 64,300.
The data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has led the trade body to project that the number of new all-electric cars sold for the year as a whole will come in at 23.2 per cent of the market up from the 22.4 per cent hit in the first ten months.
It puts the industry in touching distance of the government’s zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate target that 28 per cent of all new vehicles be fully electric this year, with penalties for manufacturers that fail to hit the target.
The motor industry is “ahead of where it needs to be to hit its targets for 2025”, said one analyst
BOONCHAI WEDMAKAWAND/GETTY IMAGES
However, with derogations for those manufacturers that have substantially reduced the carbon emissions of their fleet through hybridisation, by producing petrol vehicles that can run on battery power, the actual ZEV mandate target for the industry will be significantly lower than the 28 per cent threshold.
“Factoring in the flexibilities the car industry lobbied for in the government’s electric vehicle sales targets, the car industry remains ahead of where it needs to be to hit its targets for 2025,” said Colin Walker, head of transport at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit think tank.
“An increasing number of manufacturers are proving themselves up to the challenge of making and selling electric cars.”
The SMMT warned that electric car sales would continue to struggle to reach ZEV mandate targets in ensuing years. Next year the target is 33 per cent, rising to 38 per cent in 2027.
According to the trade body’s projections, sales are likely to come in at 28.8 per cent and 32.2 per cent respectively.
