Following the recent announcement the government plans to ban sales of all petrol and diesel vehicles from 2040, non-standard vehicle finance provider Moneybarn has analysed the development of the UK’s electric vehicle industry over the last five years to show which electric models are the most popular across the country.
According to UK figures from the Department for Transport, registrations of Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (ULEVs) have increased by a massive 1,864% since 2011. This has seen the number of electric cars registered on Britain’s roads rise rapidly from 2,129 five years ago to almost 100,000 at the end of last year.
The growth in sales of electric vehicles suggests they’re no longer considered to be niche specialist vehicles, with most popular manufacturers bringing out their own versions. With the new rules on taxes for diesel cars, electric vehicles look set to increase in popularity in the coming years.
Increased demand from the British public for ULEVs is being reflected by government initiatives and budget plans. The recent Clean Growth Strategy proposal suggests there will be an investment of one billion pounds to support the take-up of electric and other low-emission vehicles.
The most popular electric vehicles currently in the UK and their sales figures in 2016 are as follows:
| Make & Model | Country of Manufacture | 2016 Market Share |
| Mitsubishi Outlander | Japan | 7,572 |
| Nissan Leaf | Japan | 5,535 |
| Mercedes C Class | Germany | 5,164 |
| BMW 3 Series | Germany | 4,637 |
| Toyota Prius | Japan | 3,826 |
| BMW I3 | Germany | 2,917 |
| Tesla Model S | America | 2,478 |
| Volvo Xc90 | Sweden | 1,656 |
| Renault Zoe | France | 1,494 |
| Volkswagen Golf | Germany | 1,378 |
According to a standardised green score from the Council for Energy-Efficient Economy, most of the best cars on the market for efficiency and emissions are purely electric models and the list of the most highly-rated is dominated by Asian manufacturers such as Toyota, Mitsubishi and Nissan.
[source: Moneybarn]
