Electric car sales continue to rise across the UK – with one in every five cars sold, fresh figures show.
However, at 21.3% of the market, sales remain behind last year’s government target of 22% and considerably short of this year’s 2025 number of 28%.
Electric car sales were up 41.6% year-on-year.
But sales of EVs here remain lower than the UK as a whole.
Overall, the new car market in the UK fell by 2.5% in January, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
In Northern Ireland, sales fell further still – dropping by more than 6%.
The Kia Sportage was the top selling car here, with 162 vehicles shifted.
That was followed by the Peugeot 3008, with 140 units, and the Nissan Qashqai with 137 vehicles.
The SMMT said the fall in the new car market came amid “weak consumer confidence and tough economic conditions combined to deliver the fourth consecutive month of decline”.
There remain industry calls for a halt to EV tax hikes as latest outlook anticipates 23.7% market share for 2025 – below government targets.
“January’s figures show EV demand is growing – but not fast enough to deliver on current ambitions,” Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said.
“Affordability remains a major barrier to uptake, hence the need for compelling measures to boost demand, and not just from manufacturers. The application, therefore, of the ‘Expensive Car Supplement’ to VED on electric vehicles is the wrong measure at the wrong time. Rather than penalising EV buyers, we should be taking every step to encourage more drivers to make the switch, helping meet government, industry and societal climate change goals.”
It says the Expensive Car Supplement (ECS) – dubbed the ‘luxury car tax’ when launched – has remained unchanged at £40,000 since it was set eight years ago, when the overall market was 30% larger than today and battery electric vehicles (BEV) barely featured.
“With more than twice as many BEVs registered this January than in the whole of 2017, raising the eligibility threshold for EVs – or exempting them from the ECS entirely – would send the message that EVs are essentials, not luxuries, and ensure vehicle taxation remains fair and appropriate for today’s market conditions,” the SMMT said.
“Despite the increase in the month, BEV market share still remains short of the 22% target set by government for last year, and even further behind the 28% requirement for 2025.
“This gap between demand and ambition is why the review of the Vehicle Emissions Trading Scheme and its flexibilities is essential and must deliver meaningful changes urgently, else there will likely be significant negative consequences for the market, industry and, potentially, the consumer.”