The rate of growth in electric vehicle ownership has fallen for the fourth consecutive quarter as the cost of living and higher electricity costs has taken its toll, according to official DoT data analysed by car leasing comparison website LeaseLoco.
The latest Department of Transport (DoT) and DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) electric vehicle registration figures published this week, reveal that private BEV (battery electric vehicle) registrations across the UK increased just 9.8% between Q2 2022 and Q3 2022.
This compares to an 11.6% increase in EV registrations between Q1 2022 and Q2 2022, and a 15.5% increase between Q4 2021 and Q1 2022.
Looking at the comparable period in 2021, electric vehicle registrations increased by 18.8% between Q2 2021 and Q3 2021, almost twice the rate of growth (9.8%) seen between Q2 2022 and Q3 2022. The latest figures also reveal that despite London Mayor Sadiq Khan announcing earlier in the year that he was planning to expand the ULEZ zone, London has still seen the slowest uptake of electric vehicles of any UK region over the past 12 months.
EV ownership across the capital increased by 53%, between Q3 2021 and Q3 2022, from 23,353 to 35,626 BEVs. The next lowest growth in electric car registrations was in the South West, where EV ownership increased 59% over the past 12 months.
The North West has seen the fastest growth in electric vehicle ownership of any region in the UK over the past year, with EV registrations up 75%, from 11,454 EVs registered in Q3 2021, to 20,092 in Q2 2022. EV registrations over the past year are up 71% in Wales and 68% in Scotland.
Table: UK regions ranked in order of biggest growth in BEV registrations (private), Q3 2022 vs Q3 2021
|
Region |
Number of private BEVs registered - Q3 2021 |
Number of private BEVs registered - Q3 2022 |
% Increase in BEVs |
|
North West |
11,454 |
20,092 |
75% |
|
East Midlands |
9,300 |
16,092 |
73% |
|
Yorkshire & the Humber |
8,532 |
14,651 |
72% |
|
North East |
3,989 |
6,855 |
72% |
|
Northern Ireland |
1,883 |
3,240 |
72% |
|
Wales |
4,716 |
8,087 |
71% |
|
East |
16,066 |
27,216 |
69% |
|
West Midlands |
10,042 |
16,960 |
69% |
|
Scotland |
12,124 |
20,426 |
68% |
|
South East |
29,129 |
48,501 |
67% |
|
South West |
15,755 |
25,117 |
59% |
|
London |
23,353 |
35,626 |
53% |
John Wilmot, CEO of car leasing comparison website LeaseLoco comments: “These latest figures from the DoT show the impact that the cost of living crisis is having on electric vehicle registrations. Although demand is there, and sales of electric cars are growing, the rate of growth has slowed noticeably as the higher cost of electricity means more car owners are likely making the decision to delay switching to electric.
“The Government has set itself ambitious “Road to Zero” targets and can’t afford a prolonged downward trend in the rate of EV uptake. The spanner in the works could be the end of the energy price guarantee in April 2023. This is hardly an incentive for car owners to switch to electric in the coming months, knowing that home charging costs could spiral.”