Choice of EVs for UK car buyers reaches record high
Industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said car buyers can choose from more than 130 battery electric new car models.
A record two in five new car models on sale in the UK are available as a pure electric version, according to new analysis.
Industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said car buyers can choose from more than 130 battery electric new car models, up from 102 a year ago.
There are also more than 100 plug-in hybrid models on sale.
Pure electric new cars hold a 20.4% share of the UK’s new car market, compared with 16.9% 12 months ago.
But the SMMT noted that under the Government’s zero emission vehicle (Zev) mandate, at least 28% of new cars sold by each manufacturer in the UK this year must be zero emission, which generally means pure electric.
The industry body called for a package of measures to boost uptake, such as halving VAT on new electric vehicle (EV) purchases and reducing VAT paid on public EV charging so it matches the level for charging at home.
SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: “There’s never been a better time to go electric – with more choice, better vehicle range and improving infrastructure offering a compelling driving proposition.
“But the market still isn’t moving fast enough so bold support for consumer EV uptake – notably investment in incentives and infrastructure – is needed to accelerate decarbonisation efforts and make switching open to all drivers.”
Dan Caesar, chief executive of lobby group Electric Vehicles UK, said: “We can see genuine consumer interest in electric cars, both new and used, and we would welcome anything that can make the sale of those vehicles more frictionless.
“While we are confident that cheaper and better battery EVs will be the majority powertrain, industry needs to use every tool at hand to drive demand.”
Fiona Howarth, founder of EV leasing company Octopus Electric Vehicles, said: “Consumers have such a huge choice of electric car now, following a surge of affordable models being launched.
“With battery prices plummeting, amazing tech, and low running costs – the trend is clear.”
