Are private buyers really shunning electric cars?

Appalled at the Russian atrocities in Ukraine, many western leaders are talking about embargoing Russian oil. In light of this, the UK has announced that it intends to phase-out imports of Russian oil by the end of 2022. The UK does not consume much Russian gas, but we do have a little-known reliance on Russian diesel. This blog examines our dependency on Russian diesel, alongside possible mitigations.

February saw continued growth in the number of electric cars being bought in the UK. 18% of all new cars bought across the UK were fully electric up from 7% of new cars last year. This rapid growth demonstrates the continued popularity of electric cars, while the declining market share and number of petrol cars being sold shows the waning popularity of conventional internal combustion engines. 

The number of people buying electric cars has doubled in the last year, according to the latest data from New AutoMotive’s Electric Car Count. In January 2022, UK motorists bought 13,000 new electric cars, up from 6,000 in January 2021.

Welcome to a bumper edition of Electric Car Count, containing a review of 2021 as well as our usual review of the past month’s new car registrations.

Electric cars had their best ever month outside of a lockdown in November 2021, according to the latest data from Electric Car Count. 19% of all new cars in the UK in November were fully electric - almost 1 in five of all new cars. Electric cars continued to be the fastest growing segment of the market, amid declining petrol sales. 

“We estimate that the portion of the global car market covered by a commitment to phase out petrol and diesel cars has increased by 50%.

There remains more to be done - and we encourage every country that did not sign this commitment, in particular Germany, the USA and China, to set a date to end the sale of polluting cars.”

October was yet another strong month for electric car registrations in the UK, according to new figures from Electric Car Count, which tracks new car registrations in the UK. October saw electric cars take over 15% of the market for a second month in a row, with a big number of brands now recording large numbers of EV registrations.

“August’s figures are yet more evidence that the transition to electric vehicles is gathering pace. The UK will benefit if the government acts now to ensure that the charging infrastructure is rolled out rapidly. This summer, we heard some people suggest that the UK should try to resist the inevitable transition to EVs; doing so would be like building sandcastles against the incoming tide.”

-Ben Nelmes, Head of Policy and Research at New AutoMotive

“July’s new car registrations data is further evidence of the quiet revolution that is taking place in the UK car market. In July 2019, 96% of new cars were either petrol or diesel. Now, just over half of new cars bought are petrol, and we expect diesel cars to become a niche part of the market by the end of the year.”

-Ben Nelmes, Head of Policy and Research at New AutoMotive

“Across the UK demand for electric cars continues to grow, with the most significant surge in sales happening in the North East. Polluting diesel car sales continue to decline, and in London and Newcastle there are now more new electric cars sold each month than new diesel vehicles.”

- Ben Nelmes, Head of Policy and Research at New AutoMotive

The Electric Car Count is a tool and data series that gives people information about the UK car market on a monthly basis. We were delighted to see it featured in the Times and the Guardian last month. If you haven’t yet explored the interactive tool, take a look and let us know what you think.

“The race for EV market share is on. We’re seeing an increasing number of car manufacturers trying secure market share. This is good news for consumers: it means more choice of electric cars for those wishing to make the switch and access all the benefits of owning an EV.”

-Ben Nelmes, Head of Policy and Research at New AutoMotive

Last year, the UK government fired the starting gun on the biggest race in the history of the car industry. By 2030, all new cars sold in the UK must either be fully electric, or a hybrid that is able to travel a significant distance with zero emissions. As the battle lines get drawn, and the leaders emerge - the eventual winner is still not obvious, but some observations can be drawn.

How much do people care about their car’s number plate? Is one generation of people more likely than others to see their registration number as a fashion accessory? This is the story of a mystery that emerged during analysis of big data about UK vehicles. At New AutoMotive, we’re using data about every private registered vehicle to track the UK’s progress switching to electric vehicles and zero emissions road transport.