Preliminary industry data released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed that in November this year, new car registrations in the UK fell 1.9% year-on-year to 153,610, but due to record discount levels, the UK’s pure electric vehicles soared 58.4% year-on-year to 38,581, and the overall market share exceeded the prescribed target for the first time.
New AutoMotive, a transportation research organization, said that a quarter of the new cars registered in the UK in November this year were pure electric vehicles, which was the highest monthly electric vehicle market share in the UK in the past two years. New AutoMotive said that the latest data shows that the UK’s electric vehicle sales mandate is working.
Fiona Howarth, CEO of electric car rental company Octopus Electric Vehicles, also said: “The UK’s zero-emission vehicle mandate is working, not only attracting huge private investment in public charging stations, but also providing affordable prices for consumers.”
Under the UK’s strict zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) regulations, 22% of new cars sold in the UK this year need to be zero-emission vehicles, and by 2030, this proportion will rise to 80%. If the target is not met, automakers will face fines of up to 15,000 pounds (about 19,100 US dollars) per vehicle, but they can avoid fines by using a credit trading system and exceeding the target in later years.
New AutoMotive said that strong electric vehicle sales in the UK in November meant that there were enough zero-emission vehicle credits and no manufacturer in the UK needed to pay a fine this year. However, preliminary data from the SMMT showed that the market share of pure electric vehicles in the UK has remained around 19% so far this year, which is lower than the target.
Electric car sales in Britain have performed better than in the European Union this year as some British car dealers have offered deep discounts to stimulate demand in the British market, while the removal of EU electric car incentives has curbed demand in major European car markets such as Germany.