It is estimated that electric vehicles could exceed 35% of new car sales in the UK in March. Thom Groot, CEO of the Electric Vehicle Plan, said demand for electric vehicles is stronger than ever, with new license plate applications, upcoming road tax changes and increases in National Insurance contributions.
In February, zero-emission vehicles accounted for 25% of all new vehicle registrations with 21,244 units. Electric vehicles outpaced diesel (5%), rechargeable hybrid (8.7%) and full hybrid (13.6%) vehicles, while gasoline vehicles continued to lead with 47.4% market share. However, there was a 17.3% year-on-year decline in gasoline vehicle sales.
The government aims for 80% of new car sales to be zero-emission vehicles by 2030. Groot said they expect the electric vehicle sales rate, which was 31% in December, to surpass this rate in March.
In addition, Groot emphasized that the interest in second-hand electric vehicles has increased and that about half of the vehicles currently sold are second-hand electric vehicles, and that businesses are also aiming to reduce their National Insurance contributions by switching to electric vehicle fleets.