‘Bumper’ month for EVs as 1 in 4 new car buyers go electric in June

Sales of new electric cars continue to grow in the UK, with EVs accounting for a quarter of all new vehicle registrations in June.

A total of 47,354 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) were registered last month, representing a 39% jump over June 2024 and a total market share of 24.8%, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

Plug-in hybrids also enjoyed a strong month, up 29% compared with last June and accounting for 11% of new registrations. In contrast, petrol registrations fell 4% and full hybrids were down 8.5% while diesel remained static.

Despite the latest movements, petrol and diesel still accounted for 52% of all registrations across the first six months of the year. The SMMT warned that without more government support, the industry would miss this year’s targets on EV registrations.

Half-year data shows that while registrations of EVs are up 34.6% year-to-date, their market share is 21.6% – still some way short of the 28% set up in the government’s watered-down ZEV Mandate.

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said, “A second consecutive month of growth for the new car market is good news, as is the positive performance of EVs. That EV growth, however, is still being driven by substantial industry support with manufacturers using every channel and unsustainable discounting to drive activity, yet it remains below mandated levels.

“As we have seen in other countries, government incentives can supercharge the market transition, without which the climate change ambitions we all share will be under threat.”

The SMMT highlighted a lack of governmental purchase and charging incentives, and “fiscal disincentives” such as April’s tax changes as “brakes” on the UK’s EV demand. It said incentives to boost private EV purchases were the single biggest action needed to boost demand. Among the key measures it suggested were cutting VAT on new EVs and adjusting the Expensive Car Supplement to exclude most EVs.

It suggested that such moves, plus reducing VAT on public charging would boost demand and, over the course of three years would see an additional 267,000 BEVs – rather than fossil fuel vehicles – put on the road, cutting CO2 emissions by six million tonnes a year.