A new batch of government statistics has revealed that 96.6% of the 41.7 million vehicles registered in the UK need petrol or diesel to run.
The data shows 382,000 electric cars took to the roads between 2023 and 2024, a 22% increase on the previous year. A further 28,000 electric commercial vehicles were registered over the same period. A total of 2.6 million vehicles were registered in 2023.
There are now 1.39 million fully electric vehicles in the UK, but 40.31 million vehicles run purely on petrol or diesel, or are hybrids with fuel engines and battery packs.
Mandates demand that manufacturers must sell more and more EVs each year, but drivers are shying away from showrooms and holding on to their vehicles for longer. The average age of a car now stands at 10 years old, compared to eight in pre-pandemic years.
The data was published by the Department for Transport and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, and analysed by the AA. The company’s head of roads policy, Jack Cousens, says that while “the transformation of the UK car population is clearly happening”, the figures “present a mixed picture”.
Cousens explains that some drivers are “embracing new technology”, while others are “holding on to their older vehicles longer, perhaps reflecting the economy and reticence to go electric”.
