UK electric car sales jump 30% in August to lead market, data shows

Sept 3 - UK registrations of battery electric vehicles rose about 30% in August from a year earlier, making it the single biggest fuel type in the market last month, New AutoMotive data showed on Thursday.

Total new car registrations in Britain were up 17.5% year-on-year to 93,977 units last month, with battery electric vehicle registrations grabbing a nearly 30% market share at 27,876 units. Hybrid electric vehicles took around a 29% share, and petrol about 21.5%.

Electric vehicles have been gaining ground in Europe as rising fuel costs, largely driven by global oil shocks from the Iran war, steer customers toward alternatives.

"As policymakers and lobbyists wrangle over the fine print of the ZEV mandate, the automotive industry is busy delivering electric cars and vans to consumers who increasingly want to buy them," New AutoMotive CEO Ben Nelmes said.

GOVERNMENT REVIEWING STRATEGY FOR ZERO-EMISSION VEHICLES

The figures come as Britain sets out a range of options that could ease the pressure on car manufacturers to switch new sales to zero-emission vehicles, launching a review of existing targets that gradually phase out new petrol and diesel cars.

The mandate, introduced in 2024, requires carmakers to ensure a rising proportion of their annual sales are zero-emission vehicles, with EVs accounting for 33% of new car sales in 2026, 80% in 2030 and 100% by 2035.

"The worst thing we could do now is slam the brakes on a success story that is gathering pace," James Court, public policy director at Octopus Electric Vehicles, said.

"What drivers, manufacturers and investors need is certainty to keep the UK firmly in the EV fast lane," Court added.

Tesla holds the largest market share in UK battery electric vehicles, with 8.8% year-to-date, down from around 10% a year ago.

South Korea's Kia held a 6.7% share, ranking second behind Tesla, followed by China's BYD, which has seen its share increase to 6.4% of the market, the data showed.

Kia retained the top spot for monthly battery-electric vehicle registrations for the second consecutive month, New AutoMotive said.

(Reporting by Nithyashree R B in Bengaluru; Editing by Diti Pujara and Jan Harvey)