Registrations of new electric cars soared by over 58% in November as car makers slashed prices, new data shows.

Latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows that registrations of battery electric cars rockets by 58.4% last month. Pure electric cars now represent 25.1% of the market.

Registrations took off thanks to generous price reductions and discounts from car makers, as they rushed to shift more electric cars to meet the Government's ZEV (Zero Emission Vehicle) mandate. Under the rules 22% of new car sales have to pure electric, but the SMMT predicts the market will miss this target by around 3%. 

The SMMT said car makers have slashed priced and offered discounts totalling a whopping £4bn so far this year.

Sales of new cars (as a whole, not just EVs) to private buyers continued to fall in November. They dropped by 3.3% last month while fleet purchases fell by 1.1%.

Journalist and Electrifying.com founder Ginny Buckley called for more incentives to boost update from private buyers for both new and used EVs. 

"Today’s figures reflect the fact that the car industry has stepped up and introduced more affordable EV models into the market," she said. "This, combined with discounts from many car makers keen to meet the ZEV mandate targets, is clearly having a positive impact on the uptake of electric vehicles. 

"However, registrations to fleets and businesses — both heavily incentivised — are still driving this switch in the main and we know that sales to private buyers have fallen this year."

Buckley added: "To enable more private buyers to embark on their electric journey, the Government needs to introduce incentives for both new and used electric cars. Buoyant sales of second-hand EVs will be key to us hitting our net-zero targets in the near future and will also make finance on new cars more affordable by improving residual values.” 

While registrations of electric cars soared in November, the new car market as a whole was depressed. Total new car registrations in November fell by 1.9%, with just over 153,600 cars rolling off dealership forecourts. November was the second consecutive month of decline and the third decline in four months.

Commenting on the total new car registration figures, SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes said: "Manufacturers are investing at unprecedented levels to bring new zero emission models to market and spending billions on compelling offers.

"Such incentives are unsustainable – industry cannot deliver the UK’s world-leading ambitions alone. It is right, therefore, that government urgently reviews the market regulation and the support necessary to drive it, given EV registrations need to rise by over a half next year."

Government needs to introduce incentives for both new and used cars, says Ginny