Diesel and Electric Car Sales

More electric vehicles were registered than diesel cars for the second month in a row in July, according to car industry figures.

It is the third time battery electric vehicles have overtaken diesel in the past two years.

However, new car registrations fell by almost a third, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said.

In July, battery electric vehicle registrations again overtook diesel cars, but registrations of petrol vehicles far outstripped both.

Cars can be registered when they are sold, but dealers can also register cars before they go on sale on the forecourt.

People are starting to buy electric vehicles more as the UK tries to move towards a lower carbon future.

The UK plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, and hybrids by 2035.

That should mean that most cars on the road in 2050 are either electric, use hydrogen fuel cells, or some other non-fossil fuel technology.

In July there was "bumper growth" in the sale of plug-in cars, the SMMT said, with battery electric vehicles taking 9% of sales. Plug-in hybrids reached 8% of sales, and hybrid electric vehicles were at almost 12%.

This is compared with a 7.1% market share for diesel, which saw 8,783 registrations.

In June, battery electric vehicles also outsold diesel, and this also happened in April 2020.