The UK has sold its one *millionth* battery electric vehicle

It’s only taken two decades, but there are officially one million battery electric vehicles on UK roads. Pop the Nosecco.

According to the Society of Motor Traders and Manufacturers (SMMT), which revealed the best selling cars for January, the milestone also marks an 8.2 per cent growth in the new car market. Over one in five cars sold is now fully electric.

That figure hasn’t been achieved by your Average Jones, with whom your neighbour Brian is desperately trying to keep up. The uptick was down to the fleet sector, pushing a healthy increase of 29.9 per cent. Sadly, private sales of EVs have fallen by 15.8 per cent.

The SMMT's maths bods also tell us there’s been volatility in BEV supply – likely to continue – down to UK/EU rules of origin tariff regs being pushed back at the eleventh hour. But the trade association says the lack of private EV sales is down to the lack of consumer incentives, too.

Once upon a time, the government gave drivers a tidy discount for buying an EV. These days, the Treasury is relying on car makers to offer their own discounts. While 20 EU member states offer incentives to encourage drivers to make the switch, countries such as Bulgaria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Latvia, Slovakia and Sweden only offer tax exemptions, like the UK.

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief, said: “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. Market growth is currently dependent on businesses and fleets.

“Government must therefore use the upcoming Budget to support private EV buyers, temporarily halving VAT to cut carbon, drive economic growth and help everyone make the switch. Manufacturers have been asked to supply the vehicles, we now ask government to help consumers buy the vehicles on which net zero depends.”

Not one electric car model has made the best-selling top ten for January, despite the Tesla Model Y finishing in the top five in 2023. What's more, UK VED exemption on EVs will expire in 2025 - surely reason enough to splurge on zero emission mobility? Thus, the question remains what incentives do you need to switch to electric?