The British automobile market saw a considerable increase in sales of plug-in electric cars in September 2022, even as plug-in hybrids remained in the red for the seventh month in a row.

According to fresh stats shared by the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT), new passenger car sales or registrations in the UK jumped 4.6 per cent year-over-year to settle at 225,269 units, but the figure represents a decline of 34 per cent from the pre-pandemic levels. Out of the total, 50,397 passenger cars registered last month were plug-in electric vehicles. The figure for plug-in electric cars represents a jump of 16 per cent year-over-year. In terms of market share, it accounts for 16.9 per cent. In fact, it was the second-highest monthly figure ever.

More specifically, 38,116 new BEVs were sold or registered in the UK last month, up 16 per cent from the corresponding month of 2021; while PHEVs accounted for 12,281 units, down 12 per cent year-over-year. In terms of market share, BEVs accounted for 16.9 per cent, while PHEVs accounted for 5.5 per cent. Thus, total plug-in car registrations jumped 8 per cent to settle at 50,397 units, accounting for a market share of 22.4 per cent.

The trade association for the UK motor industry also noted that the cumulative registrations of plug-in electric cars exceeded 1,000,000 units in September. To be precise, cumulative registrations of plug-in electric cars reached 1,002,157 units in the country since January 2010.

Commenting on the stats, SMMT CEO Mike Hawes said, “September has seen Britain’s millionth electric car reach the road – an important milestone in the shift to zero emission mobility. Battery electric vehicles make up but a small fraction of cars on the road, so we need to ensure every lever is pulled to encourage motorists to make the shift if our green goals are to be met.”

The Tesla Model Y remained the top-selling electric model in the UK by selling 8,315 units. Experts noted that this EV has a potential to generate even higher results in the coming months. Previously in March and June, the Tesla Model Y was at #1 and #2 positions, respectively. The brief SMMT report doesn’t list other plug-ins.

Year-to-date (YTD), more than 249,000 new passenger plug-in cars (including 175,614 BEVs and 73,961 PHEVs) were registered in the UK, reaching an average market share of slightly more than 20 per cent.