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Registrations of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in May 2025 rose by 25.8%, accounting for 21.8% of the market.
Uptake of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) grew by 6.8% to 20,351 units, while plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) were up more than half (50.8%) to 17,898.
While demand for the latest ‘electrified’ models increased dramatically to take a combined 47.3% market share, petrol car deliveries were down 12.5% and diesel cars were down by 15.5%.
BEV registrations year-to-date have reached 20.9% market share, seven percentage points off the 28% mandated by regulation.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) is calling on the government to halve VAT on new EV purchases which would put 267,000 additional new EVs – rather than fossil fuel vehicles – on the road in the next three years and drive down CO2 emissions by six million tonnes a year. Removing EVs from the VED Expensive Car Supplement, meanwhile, and equalising VAT paid on public charging to that levied at home would send a signal that now is the time to switch. The SMMT adds that next week’s Spending Review is the opportunity for government to double down on its commitments to Net Zero by driving demand through fiscal measures that boost the market and shore up our competitiveness.
Car buyers can now choose from more than 135 BEVs – up from 106 last year – while there are also just over 100 PHEVs and nearly 50 HEVs. The average BEV is capable of driving almost 300 miles on a single charge.
