Electric vehicle sales up nearly 24%, with one in four new cars sold now electric

The Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT) have released their latest car registration statistics, which show almost half a million new electric cars joined Britain's roads in 2025. 

Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonisation Minister, Keir Mather said:

“Our £7.5 billion investment is driving EV uptake with sales up nearly 24% on the year, meaning one in four new cars sold are electric and there are nearly half a million new EVs on Britain's roads since 2024.

“We're determined to maintain this momentum which is why our Electric Car Grant has helped over 45,000 people save up to £3,750 off a new EV and we've announced a £1.3 billion extension so more families can save thousands. Combined with £600 million announced this year alone to expand the charging network, we're also delivering 100,000 new public chargers across the country.”

Background

Electric Car Grant:

• There are 42 electric cars eligible for the Government's Electric Car Grant, with eight models now offering the maximum £3750 saving.
• The grant is helping to tackle upfront costs – traditionally one of the biggest barriers to EV uptake – and has already helped over 45,000 drivers choose electric since its launch in July.
• Almost a third (32.3%) of new cars sold in December were EVs.

EV charging:

• There are over 87,000 chargers already live across the country, with the fastest growth happening outside London in places like Yorkshire, Wales, the West Midlands, and the East of England, and with rural chargepoints in England up 26% overall on the year.  
• An additional £600m announced this year to support the rollout of more chargepoints will build on the £381 million to help Councils deliver over 100,000 new public chargers.
• This is on top of a £25m scheme to make it easier for residents without driveways to install home chargers, enabling them to charge up for as little as 2p per mile. The Government is proposing to cut red tape and remove planning permission requirements for home chargers which could speed up applications and save drivers up to £250.
• The Government has also launched a review into the cost of public electric vehicle charging, looking at the impact of energy prices, wider cost contributors, and options for lowering these costs for consumers.

Electric Vehicle Excise Duty:

• EV drivers don't pay fuel duty at the pump, while the average car driver pays around £480 per year in fuel duty. This isn't fair when all cars contribute to congestion and wear and tear on the roads.  
• From April 2028, EVs will still only pay half what petrol cars pay currently - keeping them the cheaper, greener choice.  

ZEV mandate:

• The Government consulted extensively on the ZEV mandate last year and announced changes in April 2025 which gave significant additional flexibilities to manufacturers,
• Hitting the headline EV trajectory is only one way of being compliant with the regulation - different manufacturers are adopting different approaches to being compliant. This includes trading, borrowing or cleaning up their non-EV fleet. These are options included in the UK regulatory approach by design.
• The Government expects industry to be compliant this year due to flexibilities available in the ZEV Mandate legislation.
• We remain committed to phasing out all new non-zero emission car and van sales by 2035, and will publish a review of the Mandate in early 2027.