Record EV sales for market
Sales of new vehicles in the UK rose by 13.7 per cent year-on-year to total 312,891 in September, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
It was the strongest performance for the month since September 2020, when 328,041 monthly sales were completed.
The top models last month were the Kia Sportage, pictured, on 9,455 units, followed by the Ford Puma with 8,310 and Nissan’s Qashqai on 7,218.
The SMMT highlights that 50.8 per cent of all new vehicles registered last month were electrified.
Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) were the fastest-growing powertrain, rising 56.4 per cent from a year ago to achieve a 12.2 per cent market share, while hybrids comprised 15.3 per cent of sales.
Battery electric vehicle (BEV) uptake grew by 29.1 per cent to 72,779 registrations, the best month on record for the segment, and accounted for 23.3 per cent of the market.
The SMMT says the increased demand for BEVs was driven by manufacturer discounting, a growing choice of models, and the government introducing an electric car grant for certain models.
All market sectors were on the up. Fleet volumes rose 16.9 per cent to reach 174,336 units, private consumer demand was up 8.9 per cent to 131,003 units, and business registrations climbed 28.6 per cent to reach 7,552 deliveries.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, says: “Electrified vehicles are powering market growth after a sluggish summer – and with record ZEV uptake, massive industry investment is paying off, despite demand still trailing ambition.”
