More than one in five new cars registered in November was a battery electric vehicle, data has revealed.
Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed that 29,372 cars purely powered by electricity hit the roads last month.
This represented 20.6 per cent of total new registrations, the largest market share for the genre this year.
The number of battery electric vehicles registered was up from 21,726 in the same month a year earlier. The volume of such cars joining UK traffic in the year to the end of November was more than a third up on the same period in 2021.
Elsewhere, 16,066 hybrid electric vehicles were registered last month, up by two-thirds from the same period a year earlier.
But plug-in hybrid registrations fell by 5.7 per cent to 10,186 in November, with this genre’s market share dropping slightly to 7.1 per cent.
Overall the UK’s new car market grew by more than a quarter last month, when compared to November 2021.
SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: “Recovery for Britain’s new car market is back within our grasp, energised by electrified vehicles and the sector’s resilience in the face of supply and economic challenges.
“As the sector looks to ensure that growth is sustainable for the long term, urgent measures are required – not least a fair approach to driving electric vehicle adoption that recognises these vehicles remain more expensive, and measures to compel investment in a charging network that is built ahead of need.
“By doing so we can encourage consumer appetite across the country and accelerate the UK’s journey to net zero.”
Image courtesy of SMMT
