Including hybrids, more than half of all newly registered cars in August in the UK were electrified. For purely electric vehicles (BEVs), according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), Great Britain saw 28,063 purely electric cars newly registered in August, representing an increase of 27.7 per cent compared with the same month last year.
Of all powertrain types, electrified cars made the greatest gains. Petrol-powered cars were the only major powertrain to see registrations decline, falling 3.5 per cent year on year. The strongest growth came from cars mixing the two, as plug-in hybrid electric cars (PHEVs) saw monthly growth of 39.8 per cent, accounting for 14 per cent of all new registrations. Vehicles using petrol engines with an additional electric motor charged internally (HEVs), also saw an increase in registrations, up 26.3 per cent with 12.7 per cent of the market.
All in all, electric cars (BEVs) are now making the highest percentage of new registrations with 29.8 per cent of overall uptake in August. BEV registrations increased by 27.7 per cent year on year. According to SMMT, this represented was the second-highest monthly share of the year so far, noting that there has been a seasonal spike every August since 2023, amplified by otherwise lower overall volumes.
