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Another strong month for fleet registrations propelled the UK new car market to an 8.2% year-on-year increase in January.
Statistics from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that there were 142,876 new cars registered during the month, making it the strongest January for the market since 2020, and representing 18 consecutive months of growth.
This included a year-on-year rise of 29.9% for fleet registrations, which came in sharp contrast to private registrations, as these fell by 15.8%. Business registrations, classed as those to fleets with fewer than 25 vehicles, were down by 17.7%.
In terms of fuel mix, there was a 21% year-on-year rise in pure EV sales, accounting for 14.7% of the overall market - and taking the overall number of EVs registered in the UK past the one million milestone.
Plug-in hybrid registrations rose by 31.1% for an 8.4% market share, while conventional hybrids were down by 1.2% for a 13.1% share.
Petrol car registrations were up by 7.5%, taking 57.3% of the market, while diesels were down by 10.1% for a 6.5% market share. Mild hybrids are now being included within petrol and diesel car sales figures by the SMMT.
With the release of the January figures, the SMMT has called for new incentives to support EV demand, with private registrations of these down by 25.1% year-on-year. The organisation says the UK Government should act by temporarily halving VAT on new EV purchases with next month's Budget.
SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes 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."
Novuna Vehicle Solutions managing director Jon Lawes said: "The UK's automotive sector recorded significant private and public investment commitments last year, which is vital to EV transition, but political uncertainty around future commitments to developing green infrastructure threatens to undermine confidence for drivers to make the switch.
"Rather than political posturing, we need collaboration at national and local level, to build a robust and accessible network of fast public chargers and ensure the UK is capable of delivering its net zero ambition."
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