Drivers continue to shun diesel in the face of environmental and tax concerns

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Sales of plug-in hybrid cars soared by nearly three-quarters year on year in May, dramatically outstripping the 3.4% overall growth in new car registrations.

Nearly 4,000 plug-in hybrids, which typically run for about 30 miles on a battery before a combustion engine kicks in, were bought last month, up from 2,301 in May 2017.

Registrations of purely battery-powered cars, such as the Nissan Leaf, were up by nearly a fifth, to 1,099.

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The numbers are still a small fraction of the total 192,649 cars bought in the month but all electrified vehicles combined, including hybrids such as the Toyota Prius, took a record market share of 5.8%.

Car sales growth by sector Car sales growth by sector

However, drivers’ appetite for diesel cars continues to wane in the face of environmental and tax concerns, despite the industry maintaining on Tuesday that for many drivers they are the “right choice economically and environmentally”.

Diesel registrations plunged by nearly a quarter, to 62,260. The market share of diesels this year so far stands at 32.8%, compared with 44.1% in 2017.

Total new car sales growth was modest, said the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

The trade body notedthere had been an 8.5% decline in the previous May as sales were hit by vehicle excise duty changes and uncertainty ahead of the general election. So far this year, total sales are down by 6.8%.

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Mike Hawes, the SMMT chief executive, said: “May’s growth, albeit on the back of large declines last year, is encouraging and suggests the market is now starting to return to a more natural running rate.”

The trade body for car dealers said the continued performance of electrified vehicles presented “an opportunity for franchised dealers to be leaders in this growing segment of the market”.

James Fairclough, CEO at AA Cars, said: “The popularity of hybrids and plug-ins continues to grow at the expense of diesel cars, on the back of ongoing policy changes and the related negative press around the impact of diesel cars on the environment.”

• This article was amended on 6 June 2018. An earlier version said that hybrid plug ins run for about 50 miles on a battery before a combustion engine kicks in. That figure is more like 30 miles.