New Electric and Hybrid Car Registrations Soar In August
Published Date: 30th Sep 2021
New registrations of ‘electrified’ cars has soared in August 2021, when compared with the same month in 2020. However, the overall picture is not as good, with the total number of new car registrations down 22% from August last year. The picture for the year to date is more promising and showing a recovery in the new car market with registrations up 20% on the previous year which was blighted by the COVID pandemic and lockdowns.
August is traditionally a quiet month for new registrations as we see a dip before September brings the new plate and a massive upturn of new 71 plate cars as is the case this year.
The industry has also suffered with shortages in the supply chain, there has been an issue with microchip supply which feature heavily in the latest hi-tech vehicles. As demand has outstripped supply, many microchip manufacturers have been prioritising supplies to consumer electronic companies, meaning the motoring industry has seen a shortage and manufacturing has slowed.
Most manufacturers are offering mild hybrid technology at the very least with their popular models now, meaning electrification in some form is prevalent in mainstream cars. New registrations of traditional petrol cars are down 40% on last year, while mild hybrid petrol vehicles are up 48%. This could be attributed to manufacturers producing large numbers of MHEV (mild hybrid) vehicles as much as it could be personal choice by consumers.
Mild hybrid cars feature a traditional petrol or diesel engine with an additional small battery that supplies some extra 'juice', they usually also feature brake regeneration technology, which effectively recycles energy back to the battery. A mild hybrid model will return better economy figures than the equivalent car with a dedicated petrol or diesel engine.
Full electric vehicles have seen a 32% increase in new registrations over August last year, self-charging hybrids see a 45% upturn while plug-in hybrids are proving to be a very popular choice up 72% on the same month last year.
The most popular vehicle in August has been the cool looking compact Crossover, the Ford Puma with 1,801 new registrations. Built on the same platform as the Fiesta it is an absolute treat to drive, although it offers the higher driving position/profile of a Crossover it still retains great drivability.
Second and third are two popular small cars, the classy VW Polo (1,761 new registrations) and the Toyota Yaris (1,480 new registrations) which is offered as dedicated hybrid range.
The very popular medium sized SUV/Crossover, the KIA Sportage is forth on the registrations top ten list. The KIA Sportage has been selling in huge numbers in the UK over the last few years and it appears to have overtaken the Nissan Qashqai as the best -selling medium sized crossover in the UK in 2021.
The ever-popular BMW 3 Series tops the executive segment with 1,277 new registrations in August while the well-equipped Hyundai Tucson SUV was popular with 1,1,69 new registrations.
Other popular new cars in August are the Vauxhall Corsa, Ford Fiesta, Mercedes A-Class and the petrol/hybrid Toyota Corolla.
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