In March of 2025, the new car market in the UK saw a healthy recovery as registrations rose 12.4 percent to 357,103 units. This is the best March performance since 2019. Registrations of battery electric vehicles reached an all time monthly high of 69,313 units. However, BEVs comprised 19.4 percent of the market share for March below the government’s 28 percent target for the year, set as part of the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reiterated its call for greater government support to boost EV uptake, flagging worries around charging infrastructure and high upfront costs as blockers for consumers. According to the SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes, If government support is not meaningful for the consumer, the regime currently proposed is undeliverable he stated.
Tesla, a key player in the electric vehicle industry experienced a 0.6 percent decline in March sales in the UK with 7,220 units sold. This decline is consistent with the company’s sales trend across Europe where Musk’s political involvement has negatively affected the company’s sales, triggering protests and backlash from consumers.
Overall, the rise in electric vehicle registrations is an encouraging indication of growing consumer demand but the inability to reach the government’s target is an indication of the necessity for policy interventions to tackle existing issues in the EV sector.
