10:09 am, July 4, 2025
June saw battery-electric vehicles account for nearly a quarter (24.8%) of new car registrations, according to the latest figures from the SMMT.
The new car registration figures, out today, showed that the market was up 6.7% to 191,316 vehicles in the month – the highest level since 2019.
Demand for battery-electric vehicles (BEV) grew by 39.1% to 47,354 vehicles, with one in four buyers choosing one in June.
Despite this rise, and manufacturers and dealers heavily discounting to increase sales, the figure is still below mandated levels though.
The SMMT has calculated that by adding a government incentive, 267,000 additional BEVs would be put on UK roads over the next three years.
SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes commented: ‘A second consecutive month of growth for the new car market is good news, as is the positive performance of EVs.
‘That EV growth, however, is still being driven by substantial industry support with manufacturers using every channel and unsustainable discounting to drive activity, yet it remains below mandated levels.
‘As we have seen in other countries, government incentives can supercharge the market transition, without which the climate change ambitions we all share will be under threat.
‘Amending the ECS to remove the majority of BEVs from its scope and cutting VAT on new BEVs and public charging would boost demand significantly. This would also help deliver a vibrant domestic market, becoming a leader not just in decarbonisation but in affordability.
‘If implemented for three years, an additional 267,000 BEVs – rather than fossil fuel vehicles – would be put on the road, driving down CO2 emissions by six million tonnes a year.’
Although petrol car sales dropped by 4.2% in June, it was still the most popular fuel type that consumers purchased with 88,029 new vehicles.
Plug-in hybrid vehicles also saw a surge in demand, up 28.8% in June and accounting for 11.2% of the market.
