BEVs hit 30% of the Market in August
Posted by: user_amy 7th September 2026
The UK’s transition to zero-emissions driving accelerated in August, with BEVs taking a chunky 30% of the new car market,according to the latest figures from New AutoMotive. Registrations rose by 30% compared with August 2025, making electric cars the largest single fuel type in the market for the month.
A total of 27,876 new BEVs were registered in August with BEVs outselling all other fuel types and helping to spur on growth in the overall market, despite petrol decline. So far this year, more than 366,000 EVs have joined UK roads, with BEVs accounting for a
quarter of all new car registrations.
For the third consecutive month, BEV sales have outpaced the ZEV mandate trajectory, increasing the surplus of credits available in the system and helping to reduce compliance costs for manufacturers still behind their targets. New AutoMotive estimates
the effective 2026 market-wide target, after accounting for scheme flexibilities, at 24.6%, compared with a year-to-date BEV share of 25.5%. The market is demonstrating it can deliver just as the government consults on changes that could weaken the mandate.
Electric vans also set a new record, with 2,378 registered in August, representing a 17% market share and growth of 22% compared with August 2025. It was the second consecutive month of record BEV share in the van market, and came in a month that
usually slumps ahead of the September plate change.
Ben Nelmes, CEO at New AutoMotive, said:
“As policymakers and lobbyists wrangle over the fine print of the ZEV mandate, the automotive industry is busy delivering electric cars and vans to consumers who increasingly want to buy them. “While August is a relatively modest month for car and van registrations, it fits with an emerging theme of accelerating growth in electric car and van uptake in the UK. This is a sign that the UK government’s approach is working. “After a summer of record-breaking heat, it would be profoundly mistaken for government to mess with a story of economic and environmental success.”
James Court, Public Policy Director at Octopus Electric Vehicles, comments:
“Today’s figures are clear: the ZEV mandate is working – and the market is actually ahead of schedule. The industry is comfortably beating its real-world target, so there’s no excuse for weakening the rules now. The worst thing we could do now is slam the brakes on a success story that is gathering pace. What drivers, manufacturers and investors need is certainty to keep the UK firmly in the EV fast lane.”
Simon Smith, CEO, Voltempo:
“The strong growth in electric vans is hugely encouraging because it helps solve the chicken-and-egg problem around charging infrastructure. Vans can provide the demand today that makes commercial charging infrastructure viable, while the same sites can be
built to support the rapid growth of electric HGVs that will follow. “Results like these give companies such as Voltempo the confidence to invest ahead of demand. The commercial case for electrification is getting stronger, the infrastructure can be ready, and the direction of travel is clear: the future of road transport is electric.”
Ginny Buckley, the chief executive of Electrifying.com, the electric car buying and advice site said:
“For me, these figures reinforce why we need to stop constantly moving the goalposts. The EV market is heading in the right direction and manufacturers are building up a significant surplus of credits. “Of course not all car makers are equal when it comes to EVs – some have embraced the transition far more successfully than others – but we can’t let those lagging behind hold the whole market back. Whatever Government decides on the mandate, it needs to give the industry and drivers certainty – and then stick to it.
