Sales of battery electric vehicles in the UK grew again last month but overall new car registrations for April were down 10.4% year on year, according to new data from the industry, which has again called for more incentives for low-emission vehicles.
Some 120,331 vehicles were registered last month, the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders revealed, with monthly figures below where they were a year ago for the sixth time out of the last seven updates.
Battery electric vehicle (BEV) registrations numbered 24,558, up 8.1% year on year, while those for plug-in hybrids (PHEV) were up 34.1% to 14,073.
BEV sales represented a 20.4% share of the market, well below the 28% requirements of the government's Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate.
SMMT CEO Mike Hawes said that the government’s recently proposed amendments to the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate requirements were "welcome and an important first step in relieving some of the pressure on the market and manufacturers".
"However, EV uptake is still being heavily and unsustainably subsidised by the industry, which is why a compelling package of measures from government is essential if consumers are going to make the switch."
Suggestions from the industry included halving VAT on new EV purchases as one of the ways of helping boost the market.
Hawes said the overall April performance was "disappointing but expected" after March’s surge on the back of the latest number plate change.