New car registrations were at their lowest level for a September this year since figures were first recorded 23 years ago.
The figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reported that just 214,000 new vehicles were sold in September.
However, 32,000 electric cars were registered last month, almost as many as the whole of 2019.
And motoring manufacturers are set to invest more money in electric car development in the UK.
A spokesman for LeaseCar.uk and LeaseElectricCar.co.uk, said: “It is always important to monitor trends in the marketplace and these latest figures show how coronavirus and the global shortage of computer chips have impacted on new car sales sales. More and more people may be turning to used cars or leasing vehicles if they are unable to buy a new car.
"We welcome the trend that more people are investing in electric cars and have ourselves noticed a significant interest in electric cars during September - we have noticed a 228 per cent increase in sales compared to September last year for our electric lease cars.”
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