UK sees weakest monthly EV sales growth in 2 years
A total of 39,965 new battery electric vehicles were registered in the UK in November. With sales volumes rising 3.6 per cent, BEVs now account for 26.4 per cent of the new car market, an increase of 1.5 per cent over November 2024 figures.
So, although BEV sales have their weakest growth in two years, they do account for just over a quarter of all sales. Furthermore, ‘electrified vehicles’ as a whole – which includes PHEVs and HEVs – now accounts for 51.4 per cent of all new registrations, with traditional petrol and diesel cars now in their third month as a minority of registrations.
It may be tempting to link this fall in sales to the Autumn Budget unveiled by the Chancellor late in November, which placed a new 3p per mile levy on EVs – effectively bringing them in line with ICE vehicles that pay fuel duty.
However, these figures pre-date the Budget itself, and must be viewed in the wider context of the overall market – which saw new care registrations fall by 1.6 per cent down to 151,154 units. It’s the sixth month-on-month fall in registrations this year, which the SMMT has attributed to a 5.5 per cent decline in demand from private buyers. Elsewhere, fleet registrations and business buyer volumes have both risen – 0.2 per cent and 18 per cent respectively.
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, commented on the sales figures, saying: “Even in a fragile market, zero emission vehicle uptake continues to rise, which is exactly what we need. But the weakest growth for almost two years – ahead of government announcing a new tax on EVs – should be seen as a wake-up call that sustained increase in demand for EVs cannot be taken for granted.”
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