Registrations of fully electric cars soared by 17.7% in May, representing 12.4% or one in eight new cars joining the road.

Registrations of fully electric cars increased by 17.7% in May, representing 12.4% of the market

A total of 15,448 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) were registered last month, according to the new figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) – up from 13,120 in May 2020 as manufacturers prioritise their supply amid the continued chip shortage.

Plug-in hybrids fell 25.5% but hybrids were up 12.0% and took an 11.7% share of the market, meaning deliveries of electrified vehicles as a whole accounted for nearly a third (30%) of the new car market.

In contrast, conventional diesel registrations were down 50.8% while mild hybrid diesels fell 45.29%. And petrol registrations fell 25.1% and mild hybrid petrols were down 10.8%.

The increase in fully electric and electrified take-up came as the overall new car market fell 20.6% while the large fleet market dropped 29.9%.

Independent transport research organisation New AutoMotive said the continued surge of EV sales was undoubtedly powered by the ongoing cost of living crisis and soaring petrol prices, with EVs now costing just 20% per mile compared to traditional petrol and diesel vehicles, according to its data.

Ben Nelmes, co-founder and head of policy, said: “Amid global supply chain disruption and a cost-of-living crisis driving people away from petrol and diesel, it’s encouraging that electric cars continue to grow in popularity.

“Electric cars are a great way to beat the rising cost of petrol and diesel; driving a mile in an electric car is around a fifth of the cost of driving a mile in a petrol or diesel car.”

The SMMT said that incentives and infrastructure were key to continued momentum in electric vehicle take-up.

Mike Hawes, chief executive, commented: “This requires an acceleration in the rollout of accessible charging infrastructure to match the increasing number of plug-in vehicles, as well as incentives for the purchase of new, cleaner and greener cars.

“Delivering on net zero means renewing the vehicles on our roads at pace but, with rising inflation and a squeeze on household incomes, this will be increasingly difficult unless businesses and private buyers have the confidence and encouragement to do so.”

Meanwhile, Novuna Vehicle Solutions said it was highly likely that new EV registrations would reach parity with petrol and diesel vehicles in a matter of months.

Jon Lawes, managing director, continued: “It’s a psychologically important tipping point, and one we are accelerating towards so quickly because prolonged supply chain challenges are strangling production across the industry, causing manufacturers to prioritise the supply of EVs in the face of healthy demand.

“Supply is constrained on both sides of the market, but we’ve yet to see recently emerging fears around battery supply do much to curtail the production of EVs, and certainly not to the same extent as across the rest of the industry.”

But he added a note of caution: “We’re very much in a sellers’ market, which points to further price rises, and longer waiting lists which means consumers and commercial fleet operators need to plan well ahead and consider extending existing leasing contracts to cover the delay in new vehicle deliveries.”

And Deloitte said that further work was needed to help fleets go electric.

Jamie Hamilton, automotive director and head of electric vehicles, commented: “Despite the ongoing success of EVs in the new car market, recent figures from the SMMT showed that fewer than one in 50 vehicles on the UK’s roads are electric. This highlights the challenge ahead in fully decarbonising road transport in the UK.

“Fleets have an important role to play in speeding up the transition to electric. However, fleet managers need to be given more support in order to realise the benefits and opportunities associated with a holistic transition to electric, rather than just a standard ‘vehicle-by-vehicle’ replacement.”

Lex Autolease has also called for work to ensure that the supply of available charge points across the country is able to withstand the influx of electric cars on the roads.

“This is particularly important at a time when the second-hand EV market is beginning to gather momentum to encourage more motorists to make the electric switch,” outlined Meryem Brassington, electrification propositions lead.

She added: “It has also been reassuring to see the significant increase in take-up of the domestic EV charging grant across the UK, with 121,001 devices installed in the 12 months to 1 April 2022 – an 86% increase compared to the previous year.

“However, plugging any gaps between EV car sales and charging infrastructure installations now is critical to maintain the goodwill that exists and achieve the UK’s longer-term electrification ambition.”