In the UK, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) releases data for all new car sales made in the UK every month. These figures provide a great overview of the impact of the impact of the various issues within the industry. Today, we’re going to have a quick look at the sales data for December 2021 and see what kind of insights we can find.
The first headline-grabbing statistic is that in December slightly more than 1 in 4 of all new cars sold were battery electric vehicles (BEVs)! This level of BEV sales would have been unheard of just a few years ago. Sales at this level demonstrate just how far the UK has come in accepting electric vehicles. Admittedly, December has been a killer month for BEVs – sales over the whole of 2021 have been closer to 1 in 10 of all new cars sold.
Interestingly, the Tesla Model 3 was the best-selling car in the UK in December, with 9,612 sales – almost 1 in 3 of all BEVs sold.
In general, petrol vehicles continue to be the best sellers in the UK, with diesel sales dwindling in the wake 0f 2015’s ‘dieselgate’ emissions scandal. Some of these are of the mild-hybrid electric vehicle (MHEV) variety – meaning that although they can’t drive on electric power alone, they do incorporate some of the features of hybrid vehicles. This technology is something of a stop-gap and is only a little bit more efficient than an ordinary petrol or diesel engine.
Plug-in electric vehicles (PHEVs) also had a strong month in December with a 7.7% share of the sales – this has been very stable throughout 2021. These vehicles are significantly more efficient than MHEVs with the ability to complete shorter journeys using electric power only, with the ability to use the engine on longer stints. This can be very convenient when combined with a home charging point.
Overall, while December has been a strong month for electric vehicle sales, it seems that a large proportion of these are due to the ‘Tesla effect’ – so the established automakers may have some catching up to do.
