Plug-ins expected to break 100,000-barrier
Plug-in cars in the UK is expected to pass the 100,000 barrier this summer, according to Go Ultra Low.
It claims the wider range of models available is driving the uptake, with more than 35 different electric cars now on offer to motorists. That is more than four times as many as just five years ago.
Last year volume sales of electric motors rose by 29% over the previous 12 months and from January to December motorists flocked to buy electric vehicles in record numbers, with 36,907 electric vehicles registered in the UK.
As thousands of motorists switched on to the cost saving and convenience of electric motoring, public and business appetite for plug-in hybrid and pure electric cars reached a new high and at the start of 2017 there were 87,158 electric vehicles on the road in Britain.
Plug-in hybrid uptake was particularly strong in 2016 as annual registrations rose 41.9%, with in-demand models such as the BMW 330e, Volkswagen Golf GTE and Audi A3 Sportback e-tron among the most popular.
The most popular electric vehicle in the UK at the moment is the Nissan Leaf with more than 14,000 sold in the past three years. The best-selling plug-in hybrid is the Mitsubishi Outlander which has notched up 23,500 sales over the same period.
Poppy Welch, of Go Ultra Low, said,’Year after year, we see record levels of electric vehicle registrations as more and more motorists realise the cost-saving and environmental benefits of driving a plug-in electric car. With ongoing government incentives and increasing product choice we expect this trend to continue boosting the number of electric cars on UK roads beyond 100,000 by mid-2017.’
