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EVs surge during 30-year low for 'new registrations'

Supply shortages have been blamed for new car registrations falling to the lowest level since 1992
Supply shortages have been blamed for new car registrations falling to the lowest level since 1992 Supply shortages have been blamed for new car registrations falling to the lowest level since 1992

SUPPLY shortages have been blamed for new car registrations falling to the lowest level since 1992.

Some 1.61 million new cars were registered in 2022, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), a 2.0 per cent drop compared with the 1.65m registered during the previous 12 months and a quarter below pre-coronavirus levels.

The SMMT said the decline was due to manufacturers being unable to meet demand for new cars due to global supply chain issues such as semiconductor shortages, driven by coronavirus lockdowns in China.

The UK has reclaimed its position as Europe's second largest new car market behind Germany after being overtaken by France in recent years.

Battery electric new cars took a market share of 16.6 per cent in 2022, surpassing diesel for the first time to become the second most popular powertrain after petrol. Some 22.9 per cent of all new cars registered were plug-in vehicles, which includes pure electrics and plug-in hybrids.

Although that was a record high, it represents a smaller year-on-year rise compared with the previous 12 months.

The market share for plug-in vehicles rose from 10.7 per cent in 2020 to 18.6 per cent in 2021.

December 2022 saw battery electrics claim their largest ever monthly market share of 32.9 per cent, driven by a large number of Tesla cars being delivered.

Sales of new petrol and diesel cars and vans in the UK will be banned from 2030.

The overall new car market recorded its fifth consecutive month of year-on-year growth in December, and the SMMT anticipates that new car registrations will increase by around 15 per cent this year.

The Nissan Qashqai topped the ranking of overall new car registrations in 2022 with 42,704 recorded, followed by the Vauxhall Corsa, Tesla Model Y, Ford Puma and Mini.