LONDON: The Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid is the second most common green car in the UK even though it was only released last year, industry figures show. Analysis of DVLA data by the RAC Foundation show there were 5,273 of the SUV licensed in the UK at the end of 2014, putting it second only to the Nissan Leaf.
The Leaf, which has led the market since it arrived in 2011, accounts for 6,838 of the almost 21,500 pure electric and plug-in cars eligible for the government’s £5,000 grant scheme. The BMW i3 comes in third in the list with 1,534 registrations, while Tesla’s high-profile Model S is in seventh place with fewer than 700 units shifted.
“Electric vehicle sales momentum is building at a phenomenal rate in the UK as the benefits of all-electric driving become more widely known and rapid charging infrastructure grows across the country,” Paul O’Neill, electric vehicle manager at Nissan Motor GB, said in an emailed statement.
“We’re delighted that the award-winning Nissan Leaf continues to dominate the pure EV market and we’re on course to break more sales records as the year progresses.”
After a slow start, 2014 saw electric vehicle sales quadruple to almost 14,500, with hybrids selling marginally more than pure plug-in models. Nissan recorded sales of 4,051 units in the UK, more than double the number it had sold the previous year.
This trend is expected to accelerate further as a host of new models come onto the market in the next 18 months, while at the same time the price of new models is falling and residual values are holding up.
Importantly, the government has been keen to support the sector, pledging £500m over the course of the next Parliament to turn the UK into a green vehicles hub. This includes funding consumer incentives and charging infrastructure, adding electric cars to public sector fleets, and a joint promotional push with industry to advertise the benefits of low carbon vehicles. Ministers have also backed a £1bn Advanced Propulsion Centre and launched a £10m prize for ideas to improve battery technology to boost domestic manufacturing.
