The number of new cars registered in the UK has jumped by nearly 18% but electric vehicle demand is flatlining, prompting the industry to call for a VAT cut to stimulate sales.
Annual figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) on Friday show 1.9m new cars were registered last year, well up on the previous year’s figure of 1.6m and the highest level since the 2.3m registrations of 2019.
The increase is a boost for the automotive industry after the pandemic led to supply chain problems and a shortage of vital computer chips that slowed production.
Across the year, 315,000 new battery electric vehicles were sold. That was 50,000 more than 2022, but the number being bought as a share of total registrations failed to grow as expected. They represented just 16.5% of the total, slightly down on last year’s 16.6%.
In the UK the range of an EV will get you quite a significant distance. Some EVs advertise a range over 400 miles. Even half that is more than most brits travel in a day. I agree that the charging is a problem, especially if you rent or live in a house with no driveway
If it’s not useful for car trips, the average lower income family isn’t going to rent a car or fly. Nobody drops 30k so they can rent a car every time they want to leave the island.
Cornwall to Aberdeen is 700 miles, you’d only have to stop to charge 4 times even with a 200 mile range. You’re probably stopping more than that to take a piss. And I can’t imagine too many people are making that journey.
Taking a piss and grabbing snacks for an entire family is 5-10 minutes and gas. Not 30 for a full recharge. Or an hour if the supercharger isn’t available because it’s a busy holiday/travel weekend.