More than a million plug-in electric cars registered for UK roads

More than a million plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) have been registered for UK roads, new statistics have shown, including a quarter of a million from this year alone.

The figures, released today (5 October) by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), showed a bumper September for plug-in EVs.

The month saw the second highest volume of battery EV registrations ever, up 16.5% on the same month last year to a total of 38,116. Although registrations of plug-in hybrid vehicles declined by 11.5% to 12,281, overall plug-in vehicles accounted for more than one-in-five new cars joining UK roads. As of September, 249,575 had been registered in 2022. Hybrid EV registrations also grew by 16.5% to 29,088 units.

“September has seen Britain’s millionth electric car reach the road – an important milestone in the shift to zero emission mobility,” said Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive.

“Battery electric vehicles make up but a small fraction of cars on the road, so we need to ensure every lever is pulled to encourage motorists to make the shift if our green goals are to be met.

“The overall market remains weak, however, as supply chain issues continue to constrain model availability. Whilst the industry is working hard to address these issues, the long-term recovery of the market also depends on robust consumer confidence and economic stability.”

Despite a second successive month of growth, with overall registrations rising 4.6% compared to the same month last year, they were still 34.4% lower than pre-pandemic levels.