The electric vehicle adoption in the United Kingdom continues to progress as the government and automakers cooperate in promoting green mobility.
According to New AutoMotive’s Electric Car Count data, electric vehicle registrations surged 77% year-on-year in August. It specifically asserted that one in every five car sales were electric-powered.
EV registrations in August
The latest data revealed that electric vehicle registrations in the UK reached 16,200 units last month. Of that total, battery-electrics accounted for 15% of new car sales.
Overall, all-electric (20.8%) and hybrid models (28.8%) gained almost 50% share in the UK’s new car registrations in August, Alltop Cash indicated.
In a significant development for the country’s green initiative, sales of petrol and diesel-based vehicles suffered a record-setting decline from any period from the prior 20 years.
Petrol vehicles gained 44.1% market share, while diesel only got 6.3%. Refer to the table below:
| Fuel Type | Regs | % Δ | Mkt. Share | Δ |
| Petrol | 34,447 | 4.8% | 44.13% | -8.9% |
| Hybrid | 22,473 | 61.1% | 28.79% | 6.28% |
| Electricity | 16,200 | 77.1% | 20.75% | 5.99% |
| Diesel | 4,943 | -17.8% | 6.33% | -3.37% |
| Grand total | 78,063 | 26.0% | 100% | 0% |
Call for more initiatives
The growing demand for electric vehicles is indeed remarkable, considering the current inflation-related issues in the country.
“It is great to see British motorists embracing clean cars in their thousands. Despite an unprecedented cost of living crisis and rising interest rates, demand for electric cars has remained surprisingly resilient.”
New AutoMotive CEO Ben Nelmes
In order to sustain this EV uptake advancement, the New AutoMorive CEO calls for the government to adopt California’s fuel efficiency standards.
“The government should build on this progress by putting in place a strong California-style Zero Emissions Vehicle Mandate to give car companies and EV charger installers certainty.”
New AutoMotive CEO Ben Nelmes
The Policy Director of Greenpeace UK also pointed out the contradicting moves of the governments in promoting the shift to electric vehicles, Energy Live News reported.
“Electric cars are selling like hot cakes. However, with the government deciding to ‘side with motorists’, while pursuing an anti-green agenda, you have to wonder if ministers are foolishly ignoring these soaring sales and instead listening to the vested interests attempting to park EVs’ growth.”
Doug Parr, Greenpeace UK’s Policy Director
Tesla leads the British EV industry
The report indicated that Tesla was the best-selling BEV brand in August, with 3,834 unit registrations and a market share of 23.67%.
MG followed it with 1,760 registrations and a 10.86% market share. The top five were completed by BMW (1,588), Kia (1,058) and Volkswagen (1,053).
Below are the top 10 brands in August 2023:
| Rankings | Marque | Regs | Δ | Mkt Share | Δ |
| 1 | TESLA | 3,834 | 2,902 | 23.67% | 13.48% |
| 2 | MG | 1,760 | 1,486 | 10.86% | 7.87% |
| 3 | BMW | 1,588 | 556 | 9.8% | -1.48% |
| 4 | KIA | 1,058 | 498 | 6.53% | 0.41% |
| 5 | VOLKSWAGEN | 1,053 | 145 | 6.5% | -3.43% |
| 6 | AUDI | 953 | 408 | 5.88% | -0.08% |
| 7 | POLESTAR | 810 | 699 | 5% | 3.79% |
| 8 | MERCEDES-B… | 789 | 202 | 4.87% | -1.55% |
| 9 | HYUNDAI | 678 | -40 | 4.19% | -3.67% |
| 10 | VAUXHALL | 596 | 138 | 3.68% | -1.33% |
See Also:
- UK to dominate the global battery recycling industry
- Tesla launches its new V4 Superchargers in the UK and Norway
- UK: IMI warns of looming EV technicians shortage
- UK: EV production surged 71% since January
- UK: Plug-in cars record hit 44,470 sales and 25% market share in June 2023
The growing demand for electric vehicles demonstrates the technology’s potential to fully overthrow conventional vehicles on the UK’s roads. However, the government must continue to develop and implement policies and programs to promote green mobility.
