February 2020 saw year-on-year sales of electric vehicles more than triple, with a remarkable 2,508 battery models sold throughout the month.
That’s a 243.1 per cent increase on February 2019, which saw just 731 electric vehicles sold. Sales of other battery-assisted models have seen substantial rises too, with PHEV sales up to 2,058 last month compared with 1,373 in the same period last year.
Conventional hybrid models saw a 71.9 per cent increase as well, with registrations totalling 4,154 last month. Mild-hybrid diesels saw a substantial 467.6 per cent increase with 1,890 registered, and mild-hybrid petrols a 188 per cent increase with 3,280 new sales.
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It brings the total number of alternatively-fuelled car registrations so far in 2020 to 42,755 — up from 19,942 for the same period in 2019. This is despite total registrations of new cars seeing a 5.8 per cent dip so far this year.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, which published the data, said: “To drive the transition to zero emission motoring, we need carrots, not sticks – as the evidence shows, talk of bans and penalties only means people hang on to their older, more polluting vehicles for longer.
“It’s time for a change of approach, which means encouraging the consumer to invest in the cleanest new car that best suits their needs. If that is to be electric, government must take bold action to make these vehicles more affordable and as convenient to recharge as their petrol and diesel equivalents are to refuel.”
