The race is currently on in the electric car industry.

Volvo recently announced that it will become the first major car manufacturer to go all electric, with the Swedish company saying that every new car in its range will have an electric powertrain available from 2019.

Shortly after, Tesla, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, announced that its ‘budget’ Model 3 electric car went on sale earlier this month. This is the first Tesla car targeted for the mass market as it comes with a much more affordable price tag.

Now, the UK has followed France in announcing that new diesel and petrol cars will be banned by 2040.

Electric cars are forging the way to the future: car makers want to get their hands on the technology, as many governments look to cut down their carbon emissions.

However, the data show that there's a long way to go, with more traditional models still holding the biggest slice of the car market.

Electric car sales reached a record high in 2016

Sales of electric vehicles reached a new record in 2016, with 750,000 new electric vehicles being sold worldwide.

China, the biggest car market in the world, accounts for almost half of the sales figure in 2016. The country sold a total of 336,000 electric cars in the year.