Over 50,000 plug-in electric cars were sold in UK in September

11 October 2022

September saw a global push for electric car sales and the trend was no different for the UK. The sales grew in comparison to last year, although the numbers are yet to recover to 2019 level before the COVID lockdowns.

The UK market is quite interesting, September is the second-best month after March when it comes to sales of new cars. The number plates are issued with numbers indicating the year of first registration of the car and those numbers change twice a year - on March 1 and on September 1. Many people who could buy a car in July or August, prefer to wait till September and drive a ”newer” car - it’s a British thing.

Vehicle type	September 2022	September 2021	% change	Market share 2022	Market share 2021
Diesel	10,330	10,658	-3.1%	4.6%	5.0%
Petrol	91,679	94,314	-2.8%	40.7%	43.8%
MHEV diesel	8,581	11,448	-25%	3.8%	5.3%
MHV petrol	35,194	27,326	+28.8%	15.6%	12.7%
BEV	38,116	32,721	+16.5%	16.9%	15.2%
PHEV	12,281	13,884	-11.5%	5.5%	6.4%
HEV	29,088	24,961	+16.5%	12.9%	11.6%

50,397 plug-in electric cars were registered in September in the UK which represents 21.6% of all car sales. Battery-powered electric cars accounted for 38,116 of those or nearly 17% of all cars registered. Plug-in hybrid cars recorded 12,281 sales which is 12% less than the same time last year.

September marked a seventh consecutive month with a decline in sales of plug-in hybrid cars, while the sales of BEVs keep on climbing.

Vehicle type	September 2022	September 2021	% change	Market share 2022	Market share 2021
Diesel	67,023	117,605	-43%	5.5%	8.9%
Petrol	525,799	621,598	-15.4%	43.5%	47.2%
MHEV diesel	56,058	85,171	-34.2%	4.6%	6.5%
MHV petrol	167,486	159,776	+4.8%	13.9%	12.1%
BEV	175,614	125,141	+40.3%	14.5%	9.5%
PHEV	73,961	87,040	- 15%	6.1%	6.6%
HEV	142,427	120,283	+18.4%	11.8%	9.1&

So far this year the UK saw 175,614 all-electric cars sold, taking the total share of the market to 14.5%. Plug-in hybrids sold 73,961 units which represents 6.1% of the market, but they are taking a net decle of 15%.

First plug-in electric cars were sold in the UK in 2010 and since then the collective sales of hybrid and all-electric vehicles reached exactly 1,002,157 units.

Best selling cars in September were the Nissan Qashqai PHEV and the Tesla Model Y.

September 2022	Units sold	Year-to-date	Units sold
Nissan Qashqai	9,311	Vauxhall Corsa	29,342
Tesla Model Y	8,315	Nissan Qashqai	29,334
VW Polo	6,476	Ford Puma	27,680
Kia Sportage	5,107	MINI	23,161
Ford Fiesta	4,570	Hyundai Tucson	22,688
Ford Kuga	4,520	Ford Kuga	20,858
Kia Niro	3,861	Tesla Model Y	20,654
Hyundai Tucson	3,776	Kia Niro	20,096
VW T-Roc	3,512	VW Golf	19,344

Light commercial vehicles recorded 1,550 all-electric vans sold which is a 70% jump when compared to September last year. Vauxhall is leading the way at the moment with its Vivaro and Combo electric vans but once Ford starts selling its electric vans, the balance will shift.

Source