Electric car sales hit a record high in 2024 but fall short of government target
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New car sales hit 1.95 million in 2024; EVs take 19.6 per cent share; Ford Puma is Britain’s best seller. Sales of electric cars hit a new high in 2024, according to preliminary figures from SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders). However, despite 19.6 per cent of all new cars sold being electric, registration numbers failed to meet the 22 per cent target set by the government in its Zero Emissions Vehicles (ZEV) Mandate.
![[Mike Hawes, CEO of SMMT, is calling for a halving of VAT on EVs to boost demand]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/11/20/21/78e607f578bac0eacd7160b52bc56ae2Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzMyMjI0MjMx-2.43741116.jpg)
Car makers who fail to meet the goal of 22 per cent of fully electric sales face fines of £15,000 for every vehicle under that target, although there are various workarounds for the first few years of the Mandate that include trading credits with rivals who have exceeded the targets or borrowing from future years.
![[SMMT is calling for a levelling up of electric car charging points. Currently 44 per cent are in London and the Southeast]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/10/16/17/f947b76abd68aa572c29eb271444fc07Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzI5MTgyMTYw-2.58567411.jpg)
Mike Hawes, CEO of SMMT, revealed that the industry has been spending heavily to boost sales and avoid the punitive fines. “It has cost manufacturers in excess of £4 billion in discounting in the UK last year alone,” said Hawes. “This is unsustainable and, with the 2025 market looking under even greater pressure, it is imperative we get an urgent resolution.”.
![[The Ford Puma, Britain’s best-selling car of 2024, is set to go electric in 2025]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/02/21/FORD_2024_PUMA_GEN-E_10.jpg)
This year sees the target get tougher still at 28 per cent, which Hawes thinks is going to be near impossible to meet without government intervention. “That’s going to require from where we are currently a 46 per cent uplift in BEV sales in order to meet next year’s targets,” he said.
SMMT and the wider automotive industry are lobbying government to adjust the goals or fines, as well as pushing for incentives to persuade more buyers to go electric. The government announced on Christmas Eve that it will be consulting on the ZEV Mandate as well as the proposal to ban some petrol and diesel models from 2030.
