One in three new cars sold in December were electric as EV sales rose 38% year over year compared to the same month of 2021, the latest data from New AutoMotive has shown.
Petrol’s share of the market fell below 40% for the first time since at least 2010 when diesel was on the rise, while 250,407 EVs registered in 2022, the data revealed
However, the UK car market shrank 3% overall. Diesel and petrol’s share of the market continues to shrink, and the share of hybrids stagnated, a sign that demand for transitory hybrid technology has potentially peaked as drivers increasingly recognise the superiority of fully electric vehicles, New AutoMotive said.
“December’s figures are seriously impressive,” said Ben Nelmes, Chief Executive Officer of New AutoMotive. “This is the result of years of government support through consumer and fiscal incentives, as well as a clear long-term ambition to end sales of fossil-fuelled cars by 2035. As the government winds up grants and incentives for electric cars, it needs to be careful that these impressive numbers are not just a flash in the pan.”
Nelmes further said ministers should enshrine their 2035 ambition in law by introducing a California-style Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) mandate.
When it came to market share, Tesla dominated the table in months where it made deliveries despite recent controversies. The American EV giant accounted for just under 40% of all electric cars registered in December, its highest share in a single month and more than the next six marques put together.
The car companies with the biggest EV presence in the UK by volume in 2022, compared to 2021 (excluding those with 100% electric car sales, like Tesla), were Volkswagen Group, Stellantis, and BMW Group.
Meanwhile, more niche manufacturers were once again quicker to electrify. Of the top three, MG’s figures are most significant; a sizable monthly sales volume of 2,163 electric cars meant that 88% of all the marque’s sales in December were electric – the data excludes brands that are 100% electric from this table since they do not need to electrify their sales.
The companies who saw the most progress towards all-electric sales in 2022, compared to 2021, were Geely, BMW and Subaru. The companies transitioning to all-electric sales the slowest in 2022, compared to 2021, were Honda, the SAIC-Volkswagen joint venture (which includes Audi, Volkswagen, and Skoda), and Mazda.
The firm also provided geographical data based on a three-month rolling average. Oxfordshire was the largest EV hotspot last month, with EVs accounting for 53% of new car sales followed by Anglia (39%), London (31%), Manchester & Merseyside (28%), North East England (28%), and West of England (26%).
The top ten local authorities for EV registrations in 2022 were Peterborough (41%), Oxford (39%), Wimbledon (30%), Newcastle (26%), Maidstone (25%), Bristol (24%), Birmingham (21%), Luton (20%), Manchester (19%) and Portsmouth (18%).