Private EV ownership has jumped by more than quarter of a million cars since last year, according to new analysis.

Using data from the Department for Transport, the AA has found record growth in the sector in the last quarter and revealed that the increase is extending beyond traditional EV hotspots to more parts of the UK.

The EV market is largely driven by fleet and business customers attracted by tax breaks and lower running costs. Private buyers have been slower to adopt EVs but the new data shows the picture is improving quickly.

DfT figures for the first quarter of 2026 show that there were a total of 860,334 privately registered EVs on UK roads by the end of March. That is 271,382 more than the same period last year – a 46% increase – and 83,136 more than at the end of 2025. That 10.7% rise is the largest quarter-on-quarter increase on record and prompted AA president Edmund King to hail the “encouraging progress”.

The AA said greater model choice, improving battery technology and a buoyant used EV market were helping make electric motoring more accessible for more motorists. It also suggested that range anxiety was being replaced by “pump anxiety” as continued high fuel prices impacted household budgets.

King commented: “Private ownership of electric cars continues to move from strength to strength. More than 83,000 additional privately owned electric cars were added in just three months, showing that more drivers are making the switch to electric motoring.

“The continued expansion of the used EV market is helping to bring electric motoring within reach of many more households. This may be due to drivers feeling higher fuel prices following the conflict in the Middle East which have reminded many just how expensive petrol and diesel can become, making the long-term running costs of an EV even more attractive.”

The analysis also revealed more widespread growth in private ownership. While London and parts of the South East continue to have the largest concentrations of privately owned EVs, the fastest rates of growth were elsewhere.

Wales led on a national level, with average annual growth of 55% and the fastest-growing local authority in the UK was Blaenau Gwent, where private EV ownership increased by 84.8% over the year. Elsewhere, Knowsley Hull and Sandwell saw growth of between 77% and 83% while London, which has led EV adoption saw an increase of just 22%.

Private EV ownership by UK nation

  Nation   Q1 2025   Q1 2026 Change % Change
  United Kingdom   588,952   860,334   +271,382   +46.1%
  Wales   20,958   32,513   +11,555   +55.1%
  England   510,363   743,877   +233,514   +45.8%
  Scotland   49,288   71,600   +22,312   +45.3%
  Northern Ireland   8,109   11,774   +3,665   +45.2%

 

King added: “It’s encouraging to see where that growth is taking place. The strongest increases are no longer confined to the areas that embraced electric cars first. Wales led all four UK nations for annual growth, while the East Midlands topped the English regional table, with strong performances right across the Midlands and the North.”

Across all ownership types, there were 1,864,018 electric cars on UK roads at the end of the first quarter of 2026, up by 461,382 (32.9%) compared with the same period last year. This included 974,264 company-owned electric cars – an increase of 183,205 (23.2%) year-on-year.

By the end of July 2026, there were more than 2,150,000 fully electric cars in the UK, accounting for around 6.2% of all cars on UK roads.