One in nine (4.5%) vehicles on the road are now electrified, with around one in 22 (10.9%) completely zero emission, according to new figures by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
A record 1,797,809 battery electric cars (BEV) are now in use, up 34.7% on 2024, and now accounts for almost 5% of the car parc.
Zero emission trucks recorded the strongest growth, doubling to 1,056 units, although this was still less than 0.2% of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) in use.
In addition, zero emission bus volumes also rose sharply, up 65.2%, to account for 8.1% of Britain’s bus fleet. Battery electric vans grew by 34.6% to exceed 100,000 for the first time, with 113,256 now supporting businesses across the country, 2.2% of vans in service.
Britain now has more vehicles on its roads than ever before, with the total fleet rising by 1.4% to 42,549,649 vehicles in 2025.
The number of cars in use rose by more than half a million – or 1.4% – to 36,676,185, marking the fourth consecutive year of growth and the second largest volume increase since 2016.
Van and truck volumes also grew to record levels, up by 1.4% to 5,175,598 and 0.2% to 626,566 units respectively. The UK’s bus and coach fleet, meanwhile, rose for the first time since 2021, by 0.2% to 71,300 units.
Last year saw the new bus market reach the highest level since 2008, with 2,523 zero emission buses entering service. Fleet renewal across all vehicle types is helping to decarbonise road transport, as more drivers switch to low and zero carbon technologies, the SMMT said.
The shift to cleaner technologies is delivering environmental benefits, with average car CO2 emissions down by -2.9% on 2024, demonstrating the importance of fleet renewal and increasing demand for lower-emission powertrains.
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said:
“Britain’s vehicle parc is growing with record numbers of newer zero emission vehicles on our roads driving environmental, economic and safety benefits. This is grounds for celebration but the pace has to quicken if ambition is to match demand with the average age of vehicles on our roads actually rising.
“A holistic review of the UK’s ZEV transition is essential, therefore, to ensure that every business and consumer can make the switch so that we can deliver net zero by 2050.”
Graphics courtesy of SMMT
