UK electric car sales hit record month

The number of electric vehicles registered in the UK in March was the highest on record for a single month.

Nearly 40,000 new electric vehicles were registered in the UK last month, an increase of nearly 80 per cent compared to March last year, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

The number of registrations was higher last month than during the entirety of 2019, according to the group.

Hybrid electric vehicles also grew by nearly 30 per cent to some 28,000 cars, although plug-in hybrid registrations declined by around 8 per cent. Overall, electrified vehicles constituted around one in three of all new car registrations, while non-hybrid electric vehicles accounted for around 16 per cent of the market share.

The government has said the UK will end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030, and has legislated to reach net zero greenhouse emissions by mid-century.

The new electric vehicle figures come the day after the United Nations published a report on how the world can reduce the rate of climate change and limit global heating to 1.5C as outlined in the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Part of the report focused on the importance of “choice architecture” that can help people adopt low greenhouse gas emission options, such as electric vehicles or walking and cycling.

It also said individuals with high socio-economic status contribute disproportionately to emissions and have the highest potential for emissions reductions, as citizens, investors, consumers, role models, and professionals.

The boost in electric vehicle registrations stands in stark contrast to the broader picture of the car market last month. New car registrations declined by around 14 per cent to some 240,000 vehicles, the weakest March in 24 years, due to supply chain shortages, particularly a lack of semiconductors.

The decline comes amid a cost of living crisis, including soaring costs of petrol and diesel in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The crisis prompted chancellor Rishi Sunak to cut fuel duty by 5p a litre last month to help the squeeze on household budgets, with campaigners saying it would mostly benefit the owners of “gas-guzzling SUVs”.

More electric vehicles on Britain’s roads will mean higher demand for charge points. Last month, the government said it will help businesses to roll out 300,000 public charge points by 2030, the equivalent of almost five times the number of fuel pumps on our roads today.

Motorist groups and those involved in the transition to electric vehicles welcomed the government’s commitment but said they were concerned about the speed and scale of the rollout.