Sales of plug-in car grant eligible vehicles are now well established at more than 1.3 per cent of the overall market as registration figures released by industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) prove. April’s statistics show the market sitting at 1.36 per cent, with both electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) performing well.
In fact, to say that PHEV sales in April did well is something of an understatement. Registrations increased almost 104 per cent compared with April 2015, with 1,989 vehicles sold, compared to last year’s figure sitting at a little under 1,000. EVs by comparison still improved but at 12.6 per cent – a good increase but one that falls under the shadow of the PHEV sales. 580 new EVs were registered last month compared to 515 last year.
Not only has 2016 seen a consistent increased market share for plug-in vehicles compared with last year, but registrations are up 30 per cent too year to date. There were 13,065 PiCG eligible registrations from the beginning of the year to the end of April, compared to just over 10,000 last year.
According to SMMT figures, 60,755 PiCG eligible vehicles have now been registered since the start of the grant in January 2011. With increasing model choice and improved charging infrastructure, market share looks set to continue increasing.
We have to wait and see whether the changes to the PiCG at the beginning of March earlier this year has had an effect on PHEV registrations compared to those of EVs. With reduced funding for PHEV’s it is expected that sales might be hit a little, though this will be off-set in part by more PHEV models coming to market and greater public interest in plug-in cars.
Orders fulfilled within nine months of the grant changes will still be eligible for the higher levels of funding, meaning there are still a number of models yet to be registered for buyers who got their order in before the change, but are on a waiting list for delivery.
Table courtesy of SMMT
