Battery Electric Vehicle sales double in UK's used car market in 2023 Q3

Reflecting an increase in supply of electric vehicles, demand for BEVs doubled in the quarter, reaching a record market share as volumes to 34,021 units, up from 1 percent last year in terms of total market share. 

Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and hybrids (HEVs) also grew up 34.6 percent and 46.4 percent respectively. Together, the combined plug-ins increased by 70.9 percent to comprise 2.8 percent of the market, as per SMMT's statement.

Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, commented on the BEV sales trend in the UK used car market. "The used car market continues to grow strongly, with re-energized supply unlocking demand for pre-owned electric vehicles – the result being twice as many motorists switching to zero emission motoring in the quarter". 

He further added, "Maintaining this momentum requires growth in the new car market, to boost supply to the used sector and cement this success. Equally important is the urgent need for charging infrastructure rollout, so that all drivers can have confidence in being able to charge whenever and wherever they need". 

United Kingdom is one of the most dynamic electric car market in the European region. EV sales in the country have steadily grown since 2015. In 2022, the country registered 367,600 new electric cars, representing a year-over-year increase of 20.65 percent compared to 2021 and over double the sales recorded in 2020. 

As per Zapmap's EV market stats 2023, there are now more than 920,000 fully-electric cars and 560,000 plug-in hybrids plying on the UK roads, as of October 2023. About 15.6 percent of all new car registrations were electric vehicles, with 23,943 new electric cars registered last month. 

The country boasts 9,627 charging devices across 4,938 rapid and ultra-rapid EV charging locations as of now. Since October 2022, there has been a 96 percent increase in the number of ultra-rapid devices across the country.