Strong BEV sales fail to prevent weakest September since 1998

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he UK new car market recorded its weakest September since 1998, despite battery electric vehicles (BEVs) recording their best ever month. This is according to the latest statistics from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), which found that 215,312 cars were registered during the month – a 34.4% decline on September 2020, when pandemic restrictions were curtailing activity.

BEVs, however, did enjoy their best ever month, taking a market share of 15.2% with 32,721 vehicles being registered. The September performance was just over 5,000 short of the total number registered during the whole of 2019.

Plug-in hybrids’ share also grew to 6.4%, meaning more than one in five new cars registered in September was zero-emission capable. Meanwhile, hybrid electric vehicles grew their overall market share from 8% in 2020 to 11.6%, with 24,961 registered in the month.

SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said, “This is a desperately disappointing September and further evidence of the ongoing impact of the Covid pandemic on the sector. Despite strong demand for new vehicles over the summer, three successive months have been hit by stalled supply due to reduced semiconductor availability, especially from Asia.

“Despite these challenges, the rocketing uptake of plug-in vehicles, especially battery electric cars, demonstrates the increasing demand for these new technologies. However, to meet our collective decarbonisation ambitions, we need to ensure all drivers can make the switch – not just those with private driveways – requiring a massive investment in public recharging infrastructure. Chargepoint roll-out must keep pace with the acceleration in plug-in vehicle registrations.”