EV sales on the rise
According to the Department for Transport, registrations of Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (ULEVs) have increased by 1,864% since 2011.
This has seen the number of electric cars registered on Britain’s roads rise rapidly from 2,129 five years ago to almost 100,000 at the end of last year.
Increased demand is being reflected by government initiatives and budget plans, with the recent Clean Growth Strategy proposal suggesting there will be an investment of one billion pounds to support the take-up of electric and other low-emission vehicles.
In terms of popularity, the Mitsubishi Outlander led the way last year with 7,572 units sold in the UK. The Nissan Leaf (5,535) was second in terms of sales volumes, with Mercedes C Class (5,164), BMW 3 Series (4,637) and Toyota Prius (3,826) making up the top five.
Completing the top 10 were the BMW I3, Tesla Model S, Volvo XC90, Renault Zoe and Volkswagen Golf.
Sales and marketing director of Moneybarn, Simon Bayley said, ‘It’s a potentially exciting time for the UK car industry. Electric and alternative energy cars have now moved into the mainstream and are here to stay. With the government investing £1b in this sector there is an alignment between manufacturers and government that will hopefully encourage consumer purchasing for years to come.’
