The turbulent car sales market during lockdown gave electric vehicles a chance to shine, the latest data has shown.
Although the number of new registrations across all vehicle types plummeted in April, the figures for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) overtook diesel for the first time. In total, 1,374 BEVs were registered during April, accounting for 32 per cent of all new vehicle registrations, compared to 1,079 for diesel.
According to analysis by Cornwall Insight of data published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), BEV registrations as a proportion of new vehicles remained high throughout lockdown.
In May, BEVs accounted for 12 per cent of the total and June saw the second highest ever monthly BEV registrations, at 8,903 vehicles.
However, in July levels returned to pre-lockdown averages, with 8,162 BEVs registered out of a total 174,887 vehicles – equivalent to 4.7 per cent of the total.
According to Cornwall Insight analyst Kate Hickford, the figures give a glimpse of what BEV sales could look like in the future.
She said: “Resilient demand for BEVs appears to be driven by four key factors. From 6 April, changes to the Benefit in Kind company car tax means zero-emission vehicles pay no tax in 2020-2021, providing an incentive for businesses to transition their fleets. Also, there have been changes to the Plug-in grant in the March 2020 Budget, meaning that hybrid cars with fewer than 70 zero-emission miles are no longer eligible for funding.
“Uptake is further improved by an increased range of vehicle models available, meaning a greater choice for both consumers and businesses. These newer vehicles bring with them an improved vehicle range, making them much more of an attractive proposition to customers.
“Perhaps more importantly, during this Covid-19 period, is that EVs still have longer lead times between ordering and delivery compared to petrol and diesel cars. Although this is starting to improve many vehicles will have been pre-ordered and therefore less impacted by the lockdown.
“The last few months have provided a snapshot of how BEV sales may look in a few years, where the expectation is that BEVs will account for a third of monthly new vehicle registrations. However, whether the government’s EV uptake measures can boost uptake and defy the economic conditions is yet to be seen.”