UK PHEV sales up 27 per cent in January
News
24 Feb 2016
Plug-in electric vehicle (PHEV) car sales have continued to grow in the UK, with an increase of 27 per cent in January 2016 compared to the previous year’s figure.
Official figures show 2,176 new PHEVs were registered in the first month of 2016, with battery electric vehicles (BEV) rising 14 per cent and PHEVs increasing by 32 per cent.
An official statement from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said: “Alternative-fuel vehicles have grown in popularity and market share with registrations up by 32.1 per cent on January 2015, to account for a record 3.6 per cent of registrations. Petrol hybrids showed the largest growth up 44.1 per cent to 3,783 cars, while plug-in hybrid demand grew 32.3 per cent to 1,592 vehicles and pure electric cars enjoyed an uplift of 14.1 per cent to 584 units.”
The increase in PHEV sales is likely to continue as a majority of them will qualify for the £2,500 plug-in car grant rebate starting 1 March, particularly as the grant is due to be reduced from £5,000.
The figures also show a drop in the registration of all-electric cars, showing 137 registrations in January compared to 319 at the same time last year and 230 in the previous year. The reason behind the drop in sales is likely to be a result of the Nissan Leaf being hit with a stop sale in Europe due to a telematics issue.
Nonetheless, Mitsubishi which provides the increasingly popular Outlander PHEV has advised that customers will still be eligible for the £5,000 grant if they place their order before the end of February.
The group said: “The announcement that the plug-in car grant will reduce from £5000 to £2,500 for plug-in hybrid vehicles bought after 1 March, 2016 has also brought increased interest in the Outlander PHEV from buyers looking to beat the deadline.
“The government’s plug-in car grant scheme allows for a nine-month delivery period, which was introduced to allow for car companies’ different lead times. This means vehicles ordered before the end of February 2016 will still qualify for the full £5000 plug-in car grant, even if they are not delivered and paid for until November 2016.”
