(REPOST: Car Dealer Magazine)
Electric car registrations increased by more than 27 per cent on the previous year. If growth continues at that rate, the group has cited that annual electric car registrations could reach 60,000 for the first time in 2018.
The total number of plug-in cars on UK roads passed 130,000 in 2017, as public and business appetite for plug-in hybrid and 100 per cent electric cars reached a new high. From January to December 46,522 low emission vehicles were registered in 2017.
The Go Ultra Low numbers show that every quarter of 2017 comfortably out-performed 2016. The second half of 2017 recorded in excess of 24,000 registrations of 100 per cent electric and plug-in hybrid cars – up more than 40 per cent on July-December 2016.
Across the country, several regions stood out with London (9,274) and Eastern England (8,685) registering the most electric vehicles, a rise of 42 per cent and 21 per cent respectively on the previous year. Meanwhile, the South West and Scotland grew the fastest, boosting plug-in uptake by 140 per cent and 70 per cent respectively year-on-year.
The demand for 100 per cent electric cars, such as the UK’s best seller – the Nissan LEAF, continued to grow with the sector’s registrations increasing by around a third, to top 13,000. Meanwhile, plug-in hybrid cars like the popular BMW 330e, VW Golf GTE, and Hyundai IONIQ, delivered the highest volume of registrations with more than 33,000 arriving on UK roads, an increase of a quarter versus 2016.