80% of charge points installed in the last three months were in London and the South East

The latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) have revealed a significant increase in charge point installations in the third quarter of the year, which they say has ‘improved significantly relative to new plug-in car uptake’.

4,753 new standard charge points came online in the quarter, the largest number ever installed in a three month period. This equates to one new standard public charge point being installed for every 26 new plug-in cars being registered between July and September, up from 38 in the same quarter last year.

However, it was also noted that new charge points continue to be concentrated around London and the South East, were 80%  of the new charge points where installed – despite the region accounting for less than 40% of new BEV registrations during the period.

Of the 4,753  new chargers, just 13 were installed in Yorkshire and Humberside while, SMMT point out,  the North actually had 105 chargers taken out of service.

The new car registration figures show that battery electric vehicles (BEV) recorded their 42nd consecutive month of growth but it is observed that the market share of 15.6%, represents a relatively small rise from last year’s 14.8%.

37.6% of all new car registrations were for electric vehicles, with Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) growing 24.6% and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) up 60.5%.

However, only one in four private car owners opted to buy a new BEVs this year.  Of a total of 262,487 BEV registrations in 2023,  only  62,478 of them were private, the remainder being made up of fleet registrations.

In fact, it is fleet buyers who are driving the market as a whole too, with large fleet registrations growing by 28.8% while private sales remained stable.

Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said: ‘With demand for new cars surpassing pre-pandemic levels in the month, the market is defying expectations and driving growth. As fleet uptake flourishes, particularly for EVs, sustained success depends on encouraging all consumers to invest in the latest zero emission vehicles. The Autumn Statement is a key opportunity for government to introduce incentives and facilitate infrastructure investment. Doing so would send a clear signal of support for drivers, reassuring them that now is the time to switch to electric.’