The number of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) joining UK roads has more than doubled compared with November 2020 taking an 18.8% market share, according to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
Overall, there were 21,726 new BEV registrations last month, while the market share of plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) also grew to 9.3% or 10,796 units. This means plug-in cars represented 28.1% of the market in November. The Tesla Model 3 was the third bestselling car across all fuel types.
Of the 1,538,585 new cars registered this year-to-date, 17.5% have been BEVs and PHEVs meaning one in six new vehicles have been capable of being plugged in. So far, when combined with hybrid electric vehicles (9% share), more than a quarter (26.5%) of the new car market during 2021 has been electrified.
The total number of new car registrations rose by 1.7% in November bringing four months of decline to an end, with 115,706 units sold compared to November 2020.
However, 2020 was a particularly weak year for new car registrations due to lockdown restrictions and so these latest figures must be viewed within that context.
The market is down when compared to the pre-pandemic five-year average, with -31.3% fewer vehicles registered during the month. The SMMT says that this is due to the ongoing global semiconductor shortage which is constraining supply.
Mike Hawes, SMMT’s chief executive, said: “What looks like a positive performance belies the underlying weakness of the market. Demand is there, with a slew of new, increasingly electrified models launched but the global shortage of semiconductors continues to bedevil production and therefore new car registrations.”
Mr Hawes added: “The industry is working flat out to overcome these issues and fulfil orders, but disruption is likely to last into next year, compounding the need for customers to place orders early.”
Although BEVs and PHEVs are surging in popularity, we reported this month that public charging infrastructure is not keeping up with the pace of EV uptake. Just one on-street charger is being installed for every 52 EVs joining the road.
This makes Britain’s ratio of plug-in vehicles on the road to standard public chargers 16:1, which is one of the worst among the top 10 global electric vehicle markets, according to SMMT.
Mike Hawes commented: “The continued acceleration of electrified vehicle registrations is good for the industry, the consumer and the environment but, with the pace of public charging infrastructure struggling to keep up, we need swift action and binding public charger targets so that everyone can be part of the electric vehicle revolution, irrespective of where they live.”
Private demand soared by 41.7% in November compared to 2020 levels taking the private market share to an “unusually high” 54.1%. However, this growth again should be seen in the context of a weak November 2020 and the impact lockdowns had on consumer purchases.
Mini and specialist sports vehicle segments both increased by 139.9% and 66.8% respectively. SMMT says the most popular categories remain the lower medium (28.8%), supermini (28.6%) and dual purpose (27.5%) segments.
