Nearly 28,000 pure electric vehicles were registered in the UK during December, bringing the total for 2021 to almost 191,000, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
The annual tally increased by around 76% when compared to the more than 108,000 registered in the previous year, growing their share of the total car market from 6.6% to 11.6%.
More than 8,000 plug-in hybrids were also registered during December, bringing their 2021 total to nearly 115,000. This represented a 71% increase on previous year’s figure of around 67,000 and raised their market share from 4.1% to 7%.
Registrations of non-plug-in hybrids totalled more than 25,000 during December and just over 444,000 over the whole of 2021. The annual figure was up by more than 53% when compared to the almost 290,000 registered during 2020.
SMMT said the UK is now Europe’s second largest market for sales of both plug-in and pure electric vehicles. However, the trade association said the country is only ninth when it comes to the market share for pure electric vehicles, despite the UK having amongst the most ambitious targets of all major markets, with the sale of new petrol and diesel cars scheduled to end in 2030.
“A record-breaking year for the cleanest, greenest vehicles is testament to the investment made by the industry over the past decade and the inherent attractiveness of the technology,” said SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes.
“The models are there, with two of every five new car models now able to be plugged in, drivers have the widest choice ever and industry is working hard to overcome Covid-related supply constraints.”
He said: “The biggest obstacle to our shared net zero ambitions is not product availability, however, but cost and charging infrastructure.
“Recent cuts to incentives and home charging grants should be reversed and we need to boost the roll out of public on-street charging with mandated targets, providing every driver, wherever they live, with the assurance they can charge where they want and when they want.”
His comments were echoed by Lucy Simpson, head of EV proposition at Centrica, who said: “The rocketing uptake is hard evidence that an electric future is within reach as the 2030 ICE ban deadline draws closer.
“To ensure all drivers can make the switch to electric, rapidly expanding the UK’s charging network has to remain at the top of the industry’s New Year’s resolution list. Government investment outlined in the Net Zero Strategy is a positive step, but we must see further commitments to keep up with the demand from motorists.
“What’s more, 2022 must be the year we seriously discuss the growth of at-home charging. While inroads have been made to install chargepoints at work and leisure destinations, the roll out of chargers closer to driver’s homes will unlock the potential for many more EVs being adopted.”