Electric car sales will ‘continue to pick up’ before 2030 petrol and diesel ban

Petrol and diesel vehicles are mainstays on UK roads, with internal combustion engines still dominating sales and popularity.

But in less than seven years, electric cars are expected to have replaced fuel vehicles in a move sanctioned by the Government to slash emissions and meet net zero goals.

Farhad Tailor, managing director at V12 Sports and Classics, spoke about the spread of electric vehicles and how used cars could help drivers switch.

Speaking to Express.co.uk, he said: “Naturally, as the Government and car manufacturers continue to push the sale of EVs, we’re noticing more of these trickling into the used car market.

“While there is still some way to go in terms of a mainstream supply of second-hand EVs, we have seen a gradual increase in recent years in used EV sales as consumers look to them as a cost-saving alternative.”

The Government has stood firm by its decision to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030 and a similar ban on hybrids five years later.

Infrastructure for electric cars is also improving, with the UK seeing a 38 percent increase in the total number of charging devices since May 2022.

There are currently 43,626 electric vehicle charging points across the UK, across 25,413 charging locations, based on Zapmap data.

A number of organisations have come together to create ChargeUK which aims to lobby the Government and other key players to create greater provisions for EV owners.

One of the main goals of the organisation is to double the number of chargers in the UK by the end of the year.

Different ranges exist for how many electric chargers the UK actually needs to cope with the number of electric cars on the road towards the end of the decade.

Some estimates state that around 300,000 chargers would be needed, while others believe as many as 780,000 would meet demand.

Mr Tailor continued, saying: “As customer demand increases, we’ve made sure to stock as good a selection of EVs as possible. 

“I’m confident that EV sales will continue to pick up over the next few years, and with this, in-turn, used EV sales will also increase.”

The most recent data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders found that 24,513 new battery electric vehicles were registered in May 2023, with volume growing 58.7 percent.