UK electric car registrations rise 54% to 32% of October market

October registrations

The UK car industry group New Automotive reported that 49,155 new fully battery-electric vehicles were sold in October. That was 32% of the UK's new car market, or almost one in three, and a 54% increase over October last year. EV sales are growing slowly in the US despite the loss of federal tax incentives, while they are exploding in the UK.

New Automotive said fully electric cars outsold petrol, diesel and hybrid models. That gave EVs the largest market share of any single fuel type.

Ben Nelmes, chief executive of the group that published the figures, said: "Almost one in three new cars sold in October was fully electric, more than any other fuel type, and electric car sales are up by more than half on last year." He added that drivers were "voting with their wallets" and that each new electric car meant lower running costs for a household and a country less exposed to oil price shocks.

Germany comparison

Germany's road traffic agency said battery-electric cars took 37% of its car market in October, with over 94,000 vehicles sold. That was a nearly 80% increase year over year.

Germany's share was higher than the UK's 32%, and its annual gain was steeper: nearly 80% against 54%. The UK figure still put electric cars ahead of every other fuel type for the month.

InsideEVs reported that the run-up in oil costs is driving record EV sales across Europe, with high gas prices pushing demand for electric cars.

Brand rankings

In the monthly UK electric market, Kia, BMW, Volkswagen and BYD led, InsideEVs reported. Tesla slumped after a big September.

Year to date, Tesla is number one with 9.53% market share, up 25.4% from last year. Kia is second at 6.9% and BYD third at 6.8%. No European EV brand was in the top three year to date.

The UK also has more EV variety than the US, with models from Renault, Peugeot, Fiat, Volkswagen, Skoda, BYD and Jaecoo available. EV Powered data shows more UK customers are shopping for used EVs, InsideEVs reported.

What to watch

The October figures are monthly registration counts. The year-to-date ranking still puts Tesla first, even after its monthly slump. The next test is whether the October share holds.