UK: Plug-In Car Sales Almost Doubled In July 2023

One battery electric car was registered every 60 seconds, on average.

Tesla Model Y

Mark Kane

By: Mark Kane

Aug 6, 2023 at 7:18am ET

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In July, new passenger car registrations in the United Kingdom increased by over 28 percent year-over-year to 143,921. After seven months of 2023, the total number of new registrations amounted to 1,093,641 (up 19.6 percent).

The plug-in electric car segment far outpaced the general market, scoring the best July ever.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reports that 34,712 new plug-in cars were registered last month (85 percent more than a year ago). This result represents about 24.1 percent of the total volume (it was 16.7 percent a year ago).

Both all-electric and plug-in hybrid car sales increased compared to 2022, and we guess that this trend will continue in the second half of the year.

In the case of BEVs, SMMT noted that one new BEV was registered every 60 seconds by year's end. In 2024, this metric is expected to reach one new BEV every 40 seconds.

Plug-in electric car registrations in the UK – July 2023

BEVs: 23,010 (up 88%) and 16.0% market share
PHEVs: 11,702 (up 79%) and 8.1% market share
Total: 34,712 (up 85%) and 24.1% market share

So far this year, almost 250,000 new passenger plug-in electric cars were registered in the UK, which is 35 percent more than a year ago and more than one-fifth of the market.

New plug-in car registrations year-to-date:

BEVs: 175,975 (up 38%) and 16.1% market share
PHEVs: 73,857 (up 28%) and 6.8% market share
Total: 249,832 (up 35%) and 22.8% market share

For reference, in the 12 months of 2022, more than 368,000 new passenger plug-in cars were registered in the UK, reaching an average market share of 22.8%.

More details, also including other powertrain types:

Top models

The Tesla Model Y was the only stand-alone all-electric model in the top 10 for the month, with 2,284 new registrations. Model Y is currently fourth year-to-date (2,1835 units).

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Meanwhile, Kia celebrated 50,000 all-electric cars sold in the UK cumulatively, including 10,698 in the first seven months of 2023. The South Korean brand revealed that so far, 5,929 Kia Niro EVs were sold in the country, compared to 4,539 Kia EV6.

LCVs

In the case of light commercial vehicles (LCV), some 26,990 units were registered last month (up 44 percent year-over-year). Out of that, 1,489 were all-electric (up 95 percent year-over-year), which translated to a market share of 5.5%.