SMMT figures show that in January, battery electric (BEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and hybrid (HEV) cars accounted for 71.5% of the uplift in registrations. 14,433 BEVs and 9,047 PHEVs were registered, equal to some 20.4% of the market. With 13,492 HEVs also registered, almost one in three new cars joining British roads in January was electrified.
Overall, the UK automotive sector recorded a positive start to 2022 as 115,087 new cars were registered, up by more than a quarter (27.5%) on January 2021, when lockdown restrictions kept car showrooms shut.
However, the market remains well below pre-pandemic levels, -22.9% lower than in January 2020, as chip shortages in particular continue to impact supply.
The growth was driven by private buyers, as manufacturers sought to prioritise these customers given the supply constraints, with this segment of the market registering 62,300 new cars, up 64.1%, year on year – and just -5.6% off pre-pandemic levels. Large fleet registrations, meanwhile, remained broadly flat with last year at 50,817 units (down -0.4%).
Despite the challenges of 2021, with manufacturers battling against global semiconductor shortages, new trading arrangements and Covid impacts, including shuttered showrooms and staff shortages, it was a record year for zero and ultra-low emission vehicles. As a result, new data shows that average new car CO2 emissions fell by -11.2%, to its lowest ever recorded level of 119.7g/km.2
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said: “Given the lockdown-impacted January 2021, this month’s figures were always going to be an improvement but it is still reassuring to see a strengthening market. Once again it is electrified vehicles that are driving the growth, despite the ongoing headwinds of chip shortages, rising inflation and the cost-of-living squeeze. 2022 is off to a reasonable start, however, and with around 50 new electrified models due for release this year, customers will have an ever greater choice, which can only be good for our shared environmental ambitions.”
Keyword: EVs, PHEVs and hybrids accounted for 71.5% of January's sales