Used electric vehicle sales have reached an unprecedented level in the UK, signalling a significant shift in consumer preference.
Figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reveal that 80,614 pure battery electric cars were sold between July and September.
This represents a 4.0 per cent market share, a notable increase from 2.8 per cent during the same period last year.
Overall, the used car market saw 2,021,265 transactions in the third quarter, marking a 2.8 per cent rise year-on-year.
However, this positive trajectory could be jeopardised by proposed government policy, according to SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes.
He cautioned that plans to subject vehicles acquired through Employee Car Ownership Schemes to company car tax risk undermining the transition to electric motoring, with the schemes themselves anticipated to close as a result.
Mr Hawes said: “With used EV uptake at a record high, a robust used car market is essential for fleet renewal, and helps make electrified mobility more accessible for more motorists.
“However, overall consumer choice and affordability are at risk if the Government scraps Employee Car Ownership Schemes, a move that would stifle supply of the very latest vehicles into the used market and cut Exchequer revenue.
“Britain needs fiscal policy that promotes rather than prevents economic growth, social mobility and decarbonisation.”
The news comes as Chancellor Rachel Reeves is considering a plan that will see drivers of electric cars charged 3p per mile, according to The Telegraph.
The scheme is set to kick in from 2028, by which time as many as six million people will be driving electric cars.
The 3p charge would equate to around £12 on a journey from London to Edinburgh, according to the newspaper, which also reported that drivers will have to estimate their own usage rather than it being tracked electronically.
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