Pure-electric cars outsold plug-in hybrids for the first time since December 2014, as the electric vehicle market continues its shift away from PHEVs and increased numbers of pure-EVs come to market.
According to today’s figures (Thursday 4th July) from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the UK car market as a whole showed a 2.4% drop in overall sales during the month, compared with June 2018, but pure-electric sales increased 62%. with 2,461 EVs registered.
Plug-in hybrids continue the category’s struggles in 2019, with only February’s performance exceeding the previous year’s. June was its toughest month to date, with -52% in registrations compared to 2018.
The first six months of 2019 have seen an 8% decline in registrations of electric vehicles compared to the first half of 2018. Pure electric models have grown 61% in the same timeframe though, while PHEVs have dropped 31%.
June’s figures are the first time the SMMT has broken down sales of mild hybrids and hybrids, whereas previously there hadn’t been clarity as to how the former fitted in with alternatively fuelled vehicles and petrol/diesels.
Mild hybrids have shown huge growth since 2018, with petrol-based models up 456% and diesel mild-hybrids up 80%. This is predominantly down to the fact that there are far more models on the market than before, and the likes of Audi are replacing petrol- or diesel-only line-ups with mild hybrid engines.
Table courtesy of SMMT
Hybrids, which have performed well for some time, mainly thanks to Toyota/Lexus’s policy of replacing diesels with hybrid options, dropped 5%.
Diesels fell 21%, with a market share of only 26% now after a couple of years’ of decline in confidence from buyers. The petrol market increased 3%. now making up two out of every three cars registered in the UK.
