August sales numbers from the UK show a rosy picture for electric car sales, with BEVs being the most common powertrain and making up 30% of the market, up from 23% a year ago.
The number is well ahead of the pace required to meet the UK’s current somewhat-ambitious target of 80% EV sales by 2030… so why is the UK government considering softening that target?
UK’s electric vehicle targets have gone through a lot of back-and-forth over the years. They were originally set to target 100% new EV sales by 2040, but then that target was pushed forward, then back, then forward again, until eventually landing where it is right now – 80% EVs by 2030 (and the remainder hybrid), and a total ban on sales of new combustion-engine vehicles in 2035.
The government has targets for every year, with this year’s end-of-year target being 33% EV sales. Although manufacturers can get away with lower numbers when taking into account extra credit from various sources (New AutoMotive, a UK EV advocacy group, estimates the current “real” target is 24.6%, when accounting for these credits).
And UK EV sales are currently on pace to meet or exceed that target. At the end of 2025, UK EV sales were high enough to meet 2026 targets already. And the newest data from August shows another month where BEV sales exceeded targets.
BEVs more popular than any other powertrain in August at 30%
In August, BEVs were more popular than any other single powertrain, taking 30% of the UK car market. That barely edges out conventional hybrids at 29%, and solidly beats petrol at 22%.
It’s not the first time BEVs have outsold all other powertrains in the UK, but it’s still a good achievement, because most other BEV wins have happened in December. For some reason, Brits love buying EVs in December, and there’s always a big spike in sales at the end of the year.
PHEVs were the fourth-most popular powertrain with 14%, and saw the largest growth compared to last year, up 44%. But it should be considered that PHEVs are rarely plugged in, and unless they are, they’re not any better than conventional hybrids.
So, all in all, plug-in vehicles made up 44% of the market – not a majority yet, but certainly knocking on the door.
But what about hybrids?
That said, BEVs being the most common powertrain is a little misleading, because that requires us to put hybrids and petrol/diesel vehicles into different categories. Conventional (non-plug-in) hybrids are in fact 100% fueled by fossil fuels, so should probably be considered as fossil vehicles, even if they’re a little more efficient than non-hybrids.
This distinction is relevant given that UK’s current electric car rules allow for hybrids. The UK government recently said it is committed to “the phase out of all new cars powered solely by internal combustion engines from 2030,” but inexplicably its current guidelines do allow for conventional hybrids after that point, despite that all of their energy comes from an internal combustion engine (some of it just gets recaptured into a battery under braking).
Nevertheless, the BEV sales number is meaningful, as it shows that the UK’s current EV targets are not too ambitious. But the UK is still considering rolling them back for some reason.
UK currently wants to roll back EV targets its exceeding
The UK recently launched a long-rumored “consultation” on its EV rules, seeking feedback on whether it should maintain its current targets. The implication is that the government is considering rolling them back, rather than pushing them forward (which is what it ought to do, and is naturally what yours truly would suggest).
It launched this consultation as wildfires uncharacteristically ravage the famously rainy country, which has had to deal with new natural human-caused disasters as a result of the climate change caused by the petrol-powered vehicles the government is considering allowing to pollute for longer.
But UK drivers have been happily snatching up EVs in increasing numbers anyway, partially as a response to spiking global oil prices that show how vulnerable the island nation is to the whims of a senile reality TV host an ocean away. Maybe getting transportation off oil, and onto domestic energy supply from the UK’s booming wind and solar industries, might be a good idea.
Tanya Sinclair, CEO of Electric Vehicles UK, made the point:
While politicians argue about whether Britain is ready for electric cars, drivers are just getting on with buying them. EVs were the biggest single fuel type in August, and the market is already ahead of the ZEV Mandate’s target. So why mess around with it?
Indeed, Ms. Sinclair, indeed.
If you agree with her, feel free to tell the UK government your thoughts on its EV rules here.
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