Electric vehicle sales in November have continued what has become an exceptional 2020 for new registrations, with significant growth despite the effects of Covid-19 on the market.
More than 10,300 pure-electric cars were registered in November according to the latest set of figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) - see table below. That figure represents 9% of all new cars sold through the month, and is up 122% compared to November 2019.
The pure-electric registration figures are bolstered by plug-in hybrid sales which also saw significant growth. More than 7,700 PHEVs were registered in November 2020, making up 7% of new car sales, and an increase of 77% compared to last year.
To put the growth into perspective, the combined plug-in car market share for November 2019 - pure-EV and PHEV - was 5.8% and registrations came in at just over 9,000 units. That’s less than the pure-electric figure for this year alone, and the combined market share in November 2020 is almost 16%. In contrast, diesel sales dropped by 56% and market share is 14% - that becomes 18% when mild-hybrid diesels are added too.
This growth for electric vehicles comes against a backdrop of decline in the UK’s new car market. This is down to a number of factors, but primarily the impact Covid-19 has had on the economy in general, and the fact that much of November was spent in a second lockdown, staggered depending on country.
November 2020’s total new car registrations were down 27% on the previous year, and 2020 year-to-date is down 30%. Pure-electric vehicles however are up 162% year-to-date and PHEVs up 89%.
Combined EV-PHEV sales have now topped 144,000 units in 2020, which is just shy of twice the total for 2019, with December’s figures still yet to be added. Market share for Jan-Nov 2020 is 9.6% for combined electric car registrations, of which 5.8% of all new cars sold in 2020 have been pure-electric.