The two millionth EV has been registered with a 59.1 per cent jump year on year during a low-volume month.

The figures, from the Society of Motor Manufactures and Traders (SMMT) predict that the 2026 outlook will be upgraded to 2.093m registrations overall, but EV share has been slightly revised down to 26.8 per cent after underperforming Q1 demand.

The overall increase reflects a rebound from an unusually weak April last year, when buyers pulled purchases forward to March to beat incoming vehicle tax increases, including the application of VED and the Expensive Car Supplement (ECS) on battery electric vehicles (EVs).

Electrified cars accounted for more than half (53.2 per cent) of the market for the second month this year, with plug-in hybrid (PHEV) registrations rising 46.4 per cent to take a 13.8 per cent market share, while hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) increased 18.8 per cent, securing 13.2 per cent of new registrations.

Pure EVs rose 59.1 per cent to a market share of 26.2 per cent, and marking a market milestone, April also saw the two millionth EV registered (2,012,758). In the year to date, EVs comprise 23.1 per cent of the overall new car market, significantly short of the 33 per cent required by the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate.

The latest industry outlook shows improving confidence in overall market volumes but also reflects weaker expectations for EV demand. Total new car registrations in 2026 are now expected to rise 3.6 per cent to 2.093 million, up from January’s 2.048 million outlook, but the EV share has been downgraded to 26.8 per cent, from 28.5 per cent, following an underperforming first quarter.

Looking ahead, the 2027 market is anticipated to reach 2.121 million units, 32 per cent of them EVs, leaving a persistent gap of around six percentage points against the mandate target.

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