Call to stick to tougher green targets amid record EV sales

Carmakers sold a record number of electric cars in the UK last year, prompting environmental groups to urge the government to stick to tougher green targets even as the industry argues they are unsustainable.

- Jasper Jolly

The number of new cars sold in Britain rose by 2.6% in 2024 to 1.95m, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) lobby group. Of those, 19.6% were electric, up from 16.5% in 2023.

The figures also confirmed the SUV's rise to dominance in Britain. The "dual purpose" vehicle class, which contains many of the models marketed as sports utility vehicles, outsold other types of car such as the supermini for the first time. SUV sales were helped by the shift to electric, because bulkier cars have more space for a battery.

Electric car sales have surged because of rules forcing manufacturers to sell more every year in an effort to cut the CO2 emissions of transport, which accounted for 28% of domestic UK carbon pollution in 2022.