EV registrations reach record levels

Analysis by Go Ultra Low suggests the uptake of plug-in cars has reached a record high in the UK, with more than 115 electric vehicles (EVs) being registered every day during the first quarter of 2016.

The data shows that a total of 10,496 EVs hit UK roads during the first three months of 2016, with one plug-in car being sold every 13 minutes. The uptake is the highest since the Plug-in Car Grant was introduced in January 2011.

This year’s EV sales also exceeded 2015’s record total, with more plug-in cars registered than the previous five years combined. Furthermore, the number of vehicles registered using the Plug-In Car Grant has now surpassed 58,000, almost triple the amount that was registered at the start of last year.

Transport Minister Andrew Jones said: “These record figures show that hundreds of people every week are coming round to the fact that plug-in cars are cleaner, greener and cheaper to run. The UK is a world leader in the uptake of low emission vehicles and our long-term economic plan is investing £600 million by 2020 to improve air quality, create jobs and achieve our goal of every new car and van in the UK being ultra-low emission by 2040.”

Poppy Welch, head of Go Ultra Low, said: “This continued and steep growth in the uptake of plug-in cars is testament to how EVs are becoming a natural choice for increasing numbers of new car buyers. With low running costs, tax exemptions and free parking in many locations, many more motorists should be considering a plug-in vehicle as their next car. As registrations records continue to be set and the rate of EV growth carries on, it’s no longer a question of will more motorists choose electric, but when.”

Read more