EVs Take 32.1% Share In The UK – Volkswagen Leads

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April’s auto market noticed plugin EVs take 32.1% share within the UK, up from 24.7% year-on-year. BEVs grew decently, although PHEVs grew extra. Total auto quantity was 120,331 models, down some 10% YoY. The UK’s main BEV model in April was Volkswagen, with 10.5% of the BEV market.

April’s gross sales totals noticed mixed plugin EVs take 32.1% share within the UK, with full electrics (BEVs) taking 20.4% and plugin hybrids (PHEVs) taking 11.7%. These examine with April 2024 shares of 24.7% mixed, 16.9% BEV and seven.8% PHEV.

12 months up to now share for BEVs is at 20.7% up from 15.7% at this level final yr. PHEVs are at 9.6% YTD, from 7.7% year-on-year. This development in share is on prime of total auto volumes being up some 3% YoY.

On condition that the ZEV mandate tightens this yr from 2024’s headline “22%” to “28%”, the noticed 5% development in BEV share, and a slight development in PHEV share, are consistent with expectations, and — put merely – the ZEV mandate seems to be working.

To maintain the highly effective auto foyer completely satisfied, in early April the UK authorities did make some minor tweaks to the ZEV mandate going ahead, permitting a bit extra wiggle room, and trimming fines per automobile to £12,000 from £15,000. Nevertheless, these received’t considerably change the trajectory of the EV transition, and can nonetheless hold the UK a yr or two forward of the EU-zone common.

Combustion-only powertrains misplaced each quantity and share YoY. Petrol-only misplaced some 22% of quantity YoY, with share falling from 55.8% right down to 48.8%. Diesel-only misplaced 26% of quantity, with share dropping from 6.4% to five.3%. Their mixed share was due to this fact 54.1% in April, and will drop under 50% by September, more-or-less completely, aside from maybe an occasional blip in H1 2026.

Finest Promoting BEV Manufacturers

Recall that the UK’s long-term main BEV model, Tesla, solely begins supply of the Mannequin Y Juniper refresh in Might, so in April misplaced the highest spot it held in March. Volkswagen model stepped up in April, grabbing 10.54% of the UK BEV market.

Ford made an uncommon look in second place (with 7.36%), its highest ever UK rating. Peugeot took third, with 7.04% share, additionally a higher-than-usual end result for the Stellantis model.

Ford’s step up (from ninth in Q1) is because of the tightening ZEV mandate – as one of many UK’s largest total auto manufacturers by quantity, it has to begin transferring massive volumes of BEVs to satisfy the mandate. In April, the Ford Explorer made the most important contribution, seemingly adopted by the brand new Ford Puma (our mannequin knowledge is a bit patchy, with many “unknown” fashions listed within the model registrations, so onerous to know for certain).

Skoda got here in fourth place (from eleventh in Q1), with the brand new Elroq (priced from £31,510) now extensively out there, promoting very nicely, and apparently overtaking the Enyaq in quantity. It was an identical story for Renault, which – largely due to the brand new Renault 5 (from £22,995) having its first huge quantity month (370+ models) – climbed to ninth place, from seventeenth place in Q1. Its sibling model, Alpine, additionally noticed first deliveries of the brand new A290 in April, a extra sporty tackle the Renault 5, although solely at about 10% of the latter’s quantity.

Monitoring essentially the most inexpensive BEVs; the Dacia Spring remained regular, with over 300 models, conserving Dacia in twenty second spot. Leapmotor climbed 4 ranks to twenty seventh, largely due to the T03 promoting round 60 to 70 models. Each the Spring and the T03 have MSRPs beginning beneath £16,000 within the UK.

Nonetheless pretty inexpensive, the brand new Hyundai Inster noticed its UK debut in April, with over 200 models registered, an excellent begin for the A-segment BEV, which is priced from £23,495. Its competitor, the Citroen e-C3 (from £21,990) took a breather in April with round 100 models (from its ~300 models in March). Keep in mind that the UK’s right-hand drive market implies that fashions are sometimes shipped in irregular batches, and that March anyway sometimes sees round 3x the quantity of a traditional month.

Will probably be attention-grabbing to look at how the Renault 5, Citroen e-C3, and Hyundai Inster compete with one another within the months forward, and in addition with the BYD Dolphin Surf (aka Dolphin Mini) when the latter arrives within the coming months.

Final month’s debutant, the brand new MG S5 stepped up from simply 15 preliminary models in March to 116 models in April, an honest early end result. Though an SUV format, the MG S5 (from £28,495 MSRP) is successfully changing the older MG5 wagon / tourer, whose gross sales have now successfully ceased.

I couldn’t detect any vital new debutant fashions in April, though the patchy knowledge can obscure newcomers, let me know under when you seen any necessary arrivals I’ll have missed.

Within the trailing 3-month rankings, Tesla nonetheless holds the lead due to its (habitually) sturdy March, and regardless of its low-ebb April. Might has already seen the brand new Mannequin Y making deliveries, and we might even see a surge in direction of the tip of the month.

In the meantime nonetheless, with a broader unfold of fashions on provide, and fewer topic to erratic deliveries, the Volkswagen model continues to erode Tesla’s lead. The 2 manufacturers’ YTD share solely differs by ~0.5%, and it is going to be attention-grabbing to see the place every stands by the tip of H1.

The remainder of the model rating accommodates no nice surprises, although BYD is steadily climbing, having stepped up a gear in 2025 in comparison with 2024. BYD’s widespread UK fashions stay the Seal, Atto 3, and Dolphin. This can seemingly change when the Dolphin Surf arrives.

Outlook

Though April’s total auto quantity took a dip YoY, the 2025 yr up to now complete is barely up. We don’t but have up to date macroeconomic knowledge for the reason that This autumn 2024 results of 1.5% YoY growth in GDPfrom the Q3 determine of 1.2%. Inflation diminished to 2.6% in March (newest) from 2.8% in February. BoE rates of interest have simply been diminished to 4.25% in early Might, from 4.5% beforehand. Manufacturing PMI improved barely to 45.4 factors in April, from a low of 44.9 factors in March.

The UK’s economic system is decidedly lacklustre, however stays sturdy sufficient to maintain the tighter ZEV targets for 2025. We noticed above that the YTD pattern is already as anticipated, given the tighter targets.

From an access-for-all perspective, I’m to trace the expansion of the brand new technology of more and more small-affordable-and-competent BEVs from Renault, Citroen, Hyundai and others. Which of those do you suppose can be hottest within the UK? Please share your ideas and views within the dialogue under.