Almost twice as many used electric cars sold in the UK

New figures by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows that almost twice as many cars are being sold than a year ago in the UK.

The SMMT said between July and September 34,021 pure battery electric cars were sold, which is more than 99.9% more than the year before.

Pure electric cars now hold a record share of 1.8% of the market share and overall sales of used cars rose 5.5% year-on-year to 1.9 million the SMMT said.

SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: “The used car market continues to grow strongly, with re-energised supply unlocking demand for pre-owned electric vehicles – the result being twice as many motorists switching to zero-emission motoring in the quarter.

“Maintaining this momentum requires growth in the new car market, to boost supply to the used sector and cement this success.

“Equally important is the urgent need for charging infrastructure rollout so that all drivers can have confidence in being able to charge whenever and wherever they need.”

Alex Buttle, co-founder of used car marketplace motorway.co.uk, said: “Used EV sales continued to skyrocket in Q3, with drivers looking to the used market instead of new, as a more affordable route into going electric.

“If the Government can continue to support the transition to electric with improved charging infrastructure and financial incentives for private car buyers as well as fleet users, then used EV sales could soar even further ahead.”