EVs rise in falling market
More used electric vehicles were sold last year than ever before, but they still made up just 4.1% of the overall market.
According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, 71,071 used battery electric vehicles were sold in 2022, a rise of 37.5% on the previous year. Sales of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEVs) were also up, rose 8.6% and 3.6% respectively.
This bucked the overall trend, with used diesel transactions down 11.8% and used petrol sales falling 7.7%.
However, with 6,594,880 transactions combined, they remained the dominant powertrains last year with their reductions leading to an 8.5% decline in the overall used car market.
The SMMT reported 6,890,777 transactions during the year, which was 640,179 fewer than in 2021 and 13.2% off 2019’s pre-pandemic total.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “While the market headlines are negative, and reflective of the squeeze on new car supply last year, record electrified vehicle uptake is a bright spot and demonstrates a growing appetite for these models. With new car registrations growth expected this year, more of the latest low and zero emission models should become available to second owners.
“Accelerating uptake is key and will be dependent on drivers being assured of a positive ownership experience. This means ensuring charging infrastructure keeps pace with demand as more new and used car buyers make the switch to zero emission motoring than ever before.”
