UK electric car market growth hits a near two-year low.

The UK's new car market faced a challenging month, with overall registrations falling by 1.6% to 151,154 vehicles. Crucially, the pure battery electric vehicle (EV) sector recorded its weakest year-on-year growth in almost two years.

In November, 39,965 new pure EVs were registered, marking a modest 3.6% increase from the same month last year. This was the smallest annual increase since December 2023, when registrations actually contracted sharply (by 34.2%) due to unique supply issues.

The SMMT attributed the overall market decline, the sixth monthly fall this year, primarily to a 5.5% drop in demand from private buyers, despite a slight rise in fleet purchases. This stagnation in the face of rising EV model availability suggests private consumers are either opting to stick with familiar petrol and diesel alternatives or are actively holding onto their current, older vehicles for longer. The continued appeal of traditional Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles, coupled with economic pressure and high EV upfront costs, is slowing the pace of the green transition among the general public.

SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes issued a clear warning: "Even in a fragile market, zero emission vehicle uptake continues to rise, which is exactly what we need. But the weakest growth for almost two years should be seen as a wake-up call that sustained increase in demand for EVs cannot be taken for granted."

Hawes criticized the Government's decision in the recent Budget to introduce a 3p per mile tax on EVs (Vehicle Excise Duty) starting in April 2028. This measure, announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, is intended to offset the massive reduction in fuel duty revenue.

• EVs accounted for 22.7% of the total market share through the first 11 months of the year.

• The Government's zero-emission vehicle mandate requires manufacturers to hit a 28.0% EV sales target in 2025.

• However, green consultancy New Automotive suggests the effective 2025 sales target, accounting for flexibilities, is closer to 21.7%