2 million EVs registered across UK: comment

“This is a significant milestone in the UK’s transition to net zero emissions. With pump prices up as the US Iran conflict destabilises oil supplies, interest in EVs is surging among British drivers with Autotrader reporting that new EVs are also now cheaper to buy than petrol cars. [2]

“These two million drivers are now protected from these sudden jumps in oil price, with many saving hundreds, even thousands, of pounds a year. [3] And that’s two million cars for which the UK is not having to import oil from abroad, instead using an increasing amount of electricity generated by British wind and solar farms. Calls from parts of the car industry to slowdown the UK’s switch to EVs risk leaving drivers worse off and the UK less energy secure.

“Sales of plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) also continue to grow strongly, incentivised by recent changes in Government policy, despite consuming 490% more fuel than manufacturers claim. Already costing hundreds of pounds a year more to run than a fully electric vehicle, PHEVs are becoming more expensive as the price of petrol and diesel rises; eight of the UK’s ten best-selling PHEVs also cost more to buy than their electric equivalents.” [4]