Record EV registrations for first half of 2016

A record 19,252 electric vehicles (EVs) have been registered so far in 2016, up 31.8 per cent compared to the first six months of 2015.

The rise in sales means more EVs are on UK roads than ever before, with April-June marking the 22nd consecutive quarterly rise for plug-in car uptake.

38 per cent more EVs were registered in April-June compared to last year, bringing the total number of registrations since the introduction of the Plug-in car Grant to nearly 70,000.

Transport Minister John Hayes said: “I am delighted to see record num1bers of motorists coming round to the benefits of cleaner, greener vehicles, which are also cheaper to run. The low-emission sector supports over 18,000 UK jobs and is a key pillar in our ambition for a low carbon, high tech and high skills economy. We want to make the UK a world leader in electric vehicle uptake and manufacture, to ensure that by 2050 every car and van on our roads is a zero emission vehicle. We are backing this with one of the most comprehensive support packages in the world, with more than £600 million of government investment to help grow the UK market.”

Poppy Welch, head of Go Ultra Low, said: “The continued growth in uptake of electric cars speaks for itself as registration records continue to be broken by motorists encouraged by the benefits electric motoring can bring. As awareness grows and motorists see the wide variety of vehicles already on UK roads coupled with benefits such as running costs from as little as 2p per mile, more drivers than ever are becoming motivated to go green. Since the introduction of the Plug-In Car Grant was introduced in 2011 the variety of electric models has expanded significantly, notably so in the past two years, giving motorists more choice than ever before.”

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