UK new car sales lowest in 24 years but electric cars surge ahead
The number of new cars sold in the UK in March was the lowest for the month in 24 years because of the ongoing semiconductor shortages and the cost of living crisis, as electric vehicles enjoyed a record month.
However, there were 39, 315 new electric vehicle (EV) registrations in March, more in a single month than the total sold in the UK in 2019. as buyers are increasingly choosing more environmentally friendly forms of transport with cheaper running costs.
However, increased sales of electric vehicles will also mean more demand for electric charging points.
In February, the Resolution Foundation warned that 10m homes do not have access to off-street parking or a personal garage, so will miss out on lower costs from charging the cars using cheaper overnight electricity.
“Ministers need to make sure we can accommodate that predicted growth,” Plummer said.
The slump in overall UK car sales in March, usually the strongest month of the year, follows a 41% fall in production in February, to the lowest levels since the 1950s.
The 14% fall in new car sales last month will take registrations below 250,000, compared to the March average of 450,000 in the decade before the pandemic. This was the lowest March figure for UK new car sales since 1998.
“The industry’s lingering supply chain issues mean the traditional March rush for new registration plates has been flattened out by continued stock shortages,” Plummer said.