The UK registered its one millionth electric car last month, despite a big drop in sales, new figures suggest.
New EV registrations by private buyers fell by a quarter in January, threatening to undermine the UK's net zero promises.
Overall new car sales to private customers fell by 16% in the same period, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said.
The figures have sparked more calls for tax cuts to boost uptake among buyers.
More than 20,000 battery electric cars (BEVs) were registered in January, up by a fifth year on year and helped by generous tax incentives for company car users. It means that since 2002, one million of these cars have reached the road.
Fleet buyers - companies purchasing more than 25 units in one go - have been entirely behind the increase, with demand for BEVs growing by more than 40%.
Electric cars accounted for 14.7% of all new vehicles sold in the UK in January. Although that was an increase over the same month the year before, it was still well below the market share of 16.5% achieved for the whole of 2023.
The lack of sales to private buyers has prompted calls from the SMMT for the government to halve VAT on electric vehicles, in order to boost demand.
"It's taken just over 20 years to reach our million EV milestone - but with the right policies, we can double down on that success in just another two," SMMT boss Mike Hawes said.
"Manufacturers have been asked to supply the vehicles, we now ask government to help consumers buy the vehicles on which net zero depends," he added.
Original Article Source Credit: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68199898
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