Electric vehicle registrations set a new record market share in August 2019. Pure-electric models made up 3.4% of total sales, and including plug-in hybrids in that total takes the figure to 4.4%.
Analysis by Next Green Car of the latest set of figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows that more than 3,000 pure-electric models and over 900 plug-in hybrid cars were registered in August. That’s ahead of the new registration plate that arrived on 1st September, and includes pre-registered models rather than outright sales.
With more than 4,000 electric vehicles registered in the month, the plug-in car market performed well as the overall UK car market fell. Registration figures ended at -1.6% for August compared to the previous year.
That contrasts with the 377.5% increase for pure-EVs over last year’s monthly total, more than offsetting PHEV’s performance of -71.8% in August. As such, pure-electric models took a 3.4% market share for the month, and PHEVs made up 1% of new registrations in August.
Those figures are almost exactly mirrored from 2018’s results, where more than 3,200 PHEVs were registered at a market share of 3.4%, and pure-EV registrations were just over 650 units, at 0.7% market share.
The latest figures reinforce the overall trends for 2019 to date. The UK car market continues to fall, with uncertainty over Brexit often cited by industry leaders. PHEV registrations are also falling, with a few factors likely influencing the powertrain’s decline. Improved pure-EV range, the removal of the Plug-in Car Grant for PHEVs, and outright stock available to customers are all likely playing a part.
For the year to the end of August, pure-EV and PHEV registrations are effectively tied. This has seen a significant increase in pure-EV registrations over PHEVs in recent months, with the first eight months of the year seeing 17,393 and 17,594 units registered for EVs and PHEVs respectively. Combined, they make up 2.3% of the market share for 2019 to the end of August.
