Nissan Ariya in the United Kingdom (symbolic image)Image: NissanThe latest figures are from the annual Motorparc Report published by the the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), a British automotive association. According to the report, the total number of passenger cars in the United Kingdom rose by around half a million vehicles, or 1.4 per cent, to 36,676,185 last year.This total includes the aforementioned 4.9 per cent of battery-electric cars (1,797,809 vehicles). In other words, roughly one in every 20 cars in Great Britain is now fully electric. For comparison: in Germany, at the turn of the year, 2,034,260 electric cars accounted for 4.1 per cent of the passenger car fleet in the Federal Republic, meaning approximately one in every 25 cars was battery-electric.Additionally, the share of plug-in hybrids among registered passenger cars in Great Britain stands at 2.6 per cent, while hybrids without a charging socket account for 2.2 per cent. Diesel vehicles make up 30.1 per cent of the fleet, and petrol vehicles 57.7 per cent.When vans, buses, and lorries are included, the total vehicle fleet in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland increased by 1.4 per cent to 42,549,649 units. Of these, around 1.9 million vehicles are locally emission-free, representing a 4.5 per cent share. This figure includes not only battery-electric vehicles but also those powered by fuel cells, which are particularly relevant in the bus sector. Shares of drive types by vehicle categoryGrafik: SMMTBroken down into the three segments – vans, buses, and lorries – the SMMT does not provide absolute numbers but percentage values. The share of battery-electric vehicles is by far the highest in the bus sector: thanks to intensive government support, 8.1 per cent of buses are now fully electric. The number of zero-emission buses alone grew by 2,523 units last year, setting a new record, according to the SMMT. This follows the 1,570 new battery-electric and fuel cell buses added to fleets in 2024. In contrast, the battery-electric share for vans is only 2.2 per cent, and for lorries, it remains at a modest 0.2 per cent – though the electric lorry sector has significant potential to grow rapidly with the introduction of new long-haul models.However, the SMMT has criticised the increasing average age of vehicles: 45.7 per cent of all passenger cars on British roads have been in use for over ten years, most of which are likely internal combustion engine vehicles. To reduce road transport emissions – both in terms of CO₂ and pollutants – more quickly, the association argues that the renewal of the vehicle fleet must be accelerated. This would benefit both the climate and air quality. “A holistic review of the UK’s ZEV transition is essential, therefore, to ensure that every business and consumer can make the switch so that we can deliver net zero by 2050,” says SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes.smmt.co.uk