Rise in September EV sales

Plug-in car sales in September has exceeded expectations, representing 3.5 per cent of all new car sales.

According to Next Green Car, diesel sales plummeted as motorists appear to be switching to electric vehicles.

Car registrations were down by 9. 3 per cent overall in compared to last year, according to SMMT figures.

However, the plug-in car market has taken a 3.5 per cent market share for the first time.

While the number of plug-ins grew overall, the sale of pure electrics have declined compared to this time last year (by almost 40 per cent) whereas registrations of plug-in hybrids increased by 54 per cent, PHEV sales accounting for the vast majority of the 14,758 EVs purchased in September.

The number of cars eligible for the UK Plug-in Car Grant (PiCG) increased by more than 24 per cent

Year-to-date (YTD) registrations show a similar trend with pure EVs falling by 34.5 per cent but plug-in hybrid sales increasing by almost 47 per cent to September. The conventional hybrid market also shows strong growth with petrol- and diesel-electrics increasing sales by almost 15 per cent and 37 per cent respectively.