BEVs outsold every UK powertrain in August at 30% — SkimNews
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- BEVs took 30% of UK new-car sales in August, up from 23% a year earlier and the most of any single powertrain — narrowly beating conventional hybrids at 29% and well ahead of petrol at 22%
- UK EV sales are running ahead of the ZEV Mandate's end-of-2025 target of 33%, with August marking another month exceeding requirements; New AutoMotive pegs the effective 2025 target at 24.6% after manufacturer credits
- Plug-in vehicles (BEVs plus PHEVs) collectively captured 44% of the UK market in August, with PHEVs at 14% — up 44% year-over-year, the largest growth of any powertrain — though the source notes PHEVs are rarely actually plugged in
- The UK government launched a consultation on its EV rules signaling it may soften the 80%-by-2030 target and the 2035 ban on new combustion vehicles, even as drivers continue buying EVs at a record pace
- Tanya Sinclair, CEO of Electric Vehicles UK, said 'while politicians argue about whether Britain is ready for electric cars, drivers are just getting on with buying them' and asked why the government would 'mess around' with targets the market is already beating
- Conventional hybrids remain 100% fossil-fueled but are categorized separately from ICE vehicles in UK rules, with the government pledging to phase out 'cars powered solely by internal combustion engines from 2030' while still permitting hybrids — a distinction the source calls 'inexplicable'
Why it matters: The government is floating a rollback of EV targets even though the UK market is already exceeding them — a disconnect that, if it survives consultation, could give manufacturers and dealers cover to slow charger deployment and grid investment, while the UK's continued oil dependence leaves the island exposed to global price spikes and climate-driven wildfires.
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