Battery electric vehicle sales soar in August

For the first time since February the UK automotive market saw growth due to battery electric vehicles. These latest figures show that BEVs saw growth of 35.4% compared to the same month in the previous year and due to this there has now been a 1.2% rise, even the van EV sector saw a slight increase in sales which has historically done poorly. The August BEV sales were up 48.8% across 2022 so far which equates to 137,500 units sold. Overall, it means the sales of all forms of electrified vehicles - including pure battery electric, plug-in hybrid, and non-plug-in hybrid vehicles comprised more than 20%, or one-in-five, of all cars sold in the UK last month, according to figures.

SMMT Chief Executive Mile Hawes was happy with the increase in sales but still urges the new Prime Minister Liz Truss to help tackle the existing challenges within the industry that have been plaguing the sector since the pandemic. He continued to say "Spiralling energy costs and inflation on top of sustained supply chain challenges are piling even more pressure on the automotive industry's post-pandemic recovery, and we urgently need the new Prime Minister to tackle these challenges and restore confidence and sustainable growth," he said. "With September traditionally a bumper time for new car uptake, the next month will be the true barometer of industry recovery as it accelerates the transition to zero-emission mobility despite the myriad challenges." EVs are seeing challenges with the energy crisis and now cost advantages are being slowly chipped away.