Consumers to end 2030 petrol and diesel ban by 2028

Current trends show petrol car registrations shed 8 percentage points in July as electric cars grew by 90%. In 2019 petrol accounted for 65% of new cars - their decline now sees them at under 45% - and registrations of diesel cars have also collapsed from their peak of 50% in 2016.

 Tesla tops the table for manufacturers with the most EVs registered in July, its market share also remains steady at 17% as their Model Y continues to dominate the electric car market in 2023. MG has seen significant growth in its market share as it more than doubled its sales in the first seven months of this year. One in ten new electric cars in 2023 has been an MG, due to the popularity of the MG4.

Electric vans made up 6% of the UK van market in July and the number of e-vans registered have increased by 95%. The market overall, has grown considerably after a disappointing 2022.

Electric motorbike sales fell by 44% having struggled to make headway in sales since the scaling back of the plug-in motorbike grant in 2021. July saw a new record number of electric HGVs registered in the UK, with 46 vehicles hitting the UK's roads – to continue at this pace the industry urgently needs a specific policy framework.

Ben Nelmes, Chief Executive at New AutoMotive, said on the Electric Car Count: 
“Debate about the government's 2030 target is starting to look academic. Consumers have all but ended the sale of diesel cars already, and are increasingly shunning petrol cars.

"Remarkably, despite a recovery in the car market, sales of petrol cars remain in a long term decline, and are still around half of their pre-pandemic peak. Consumers are voting with their wallets and showing that they prefer to go electric.

"The biggest thing preventing more people getting in an electric car remains the supply of vehicles - Ministers can fix this by introducing an ambitious ZEV mandate that starts in 2024."

Ciara Cook, Policy Officer at New AutoMotive, said on the Electric Van Count:

“Despite pessimism in the press, businesses are still being won over by the running cost savings e-vans bring during a time of increased costs.

"The government must resist calls to weaken the ZEV mandate, which is already looking much too unambitious. Without increasing targets the government will hurt manufacturers which have excelled in this area, such as British-made Vauxhall."