2019 was a good year for electric car growth

By Danny Morgan

Last updated: Nov 30th 2022

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Demand for Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) continued to show strong growth in 2019, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

The growth in demand for BEVs was huge in 2019, with 37,850 registrations year to date compared to 15,510 in 2018 – a massive 144% increase.

Year to date market share is still small at 1.6%, but this is an increase over 2018 when market share was at just 0.7%.

The overall figures, while positive for the electric car market, saw a decline in car registrations with diesel suffering the most. In 2019, 2,311,140 cars were registered representing a -2.4% decline compared to 2018.

According to the SMMT, the Government’s ambition for BEVs and alternatively-fuelled vehicles to reach 50-70% market share in the next 10 years is being undermined by the lack of a purchase incentive for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which it believes was prematurely removed before the market was ready.

In fact, the plug-in hybrid market was down 17.8% compared to 2018.

Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said:

“A stalling market will hinder industry’s ability to meet stringent new CO2 targets and, importantly, undermine wider environmental goals. We urgently need more supportive policies: investment in infrastructure; broader measures to encourage uptake of the latest, low and zero emission cars; and long-term purchase incentives to put the UK at the forefront of this technological shift. Industry is playing its part with a raft of exciting new models in 2020 and compelling offers but consumers will only respond if economic confidence is strong and the technology affordable.”