The UK’s electric vehicle market hit the brakes in November, delivering its weakest growth in almost two years as the Chancellor’s looming pay-per-mile tax sowed uncertainty among buyers, and left Tesla nursing the sharpest fall in registrations.
New figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that just under 40,000 battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) were registered last month — only a 3.6% rise on November 2024, and a dramatic slowdown for a sector expected to accelerate rapidly towards the government’s net-zero goals.
It marks the softest year-on-year expansion since late 2023, when global supply chains were still snarled, and leaves BEVs on a 26.4% market share, short of the government’s 28% target for this stage in the transition.
The slowdown comes after weeks of pre-Budget speculation in which Treasury sources aired, and then confirmed, plans for a new EV excise duty (eVED). From April 2028, BEV drivers will pay 3p per mile and plug-in hybrid drivers 1.5p per mile, replacing the fuel duty revenue lost as motorists ditch petrol and diesel.
Support authors and subscribe to content
This is premium stuff. Subscribe to read the entire article.
