Electric cars are closer than ever to overtaking petrol in Britain. The UK new car market rose 5.4% to 152,730 registrations in October, and battery EVs took 32.0%, their highest share this year, the SMMT says. Petrol fell to 37.2% from 44.4% a year earlier.
BEV registrations rose 32.7% to 48,858 and plug-in hybrids rose 30.1% to 22,898, while petrol fell 11.6% to 56,876. Year to date, 503,805 BEVs have been registered, a 26.6% share, Electrek reports. Electrek's trend analysis suggests EVs could pass petrol in SMMT's headline figures as soon as December, when automakers usually push EV volume.
The industry body is still pressing the government to cut ZEV mandate targets. It forecasts a 27.2% BEV share for 2026 against a 33% requirement. «Higher targets may force supply, but they do not create demand,» SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said.
