EV demand slumps with sales now a third behind Government targets

Demand for electric cars among UK car buyers remains far behind the Government’s lofty ambitions, despite a small rise in sales year-on-year.

In February, just over 90,000 new cars were registered in the UK, with the volume of EVs rising by 2.9 per cent year-on-year to just shy of 22,000 units. This is a slight dip over the total of roughly 29,600 electric cars registered in January and brings EV market share to just 22 per cent for the year-to-date – well behind the target of 33 per cent set by the Government’s Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate.

The ZEV Mandate requires manufacturers to ensure a specified proportion of their sales are fully-electric. For every car over that threshold, brands are forced to pay a fine of £12,000, although they can buy ‘credits’ from other manufacturers in order to offset their internal combustion sales.

Nevertheless, these latest figures appear grim when compared to the same period last year. In February 2025 there were fewer registrations overall, but EV sales had jumped by over 40 per cent over 2024, bringing market share to over 25 per cent. In light of this, it seems growth in the appetite for electric cars in the UK has ground to a halt. 

Registrations of new Tesla models, for example, dipped by 37 per cent in February compared to last year, although the firm insists that this does not reflect recent orders, which it claims “far exceed their respective months in 2025 and 2024”.

Just as optimistic despite the disappointing figures is Ben Nelmes: CEO of transport research firm, New AutoMotive. “It is fantastic to see one in four motorists opting for an electric car in February,” he said. “As we enter yet another fossil fuel price crisis, every electric vehicle is yet another step on the road to energy independence.”

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