- European car company suggests electric car sales are booming
- The results show that annual sales of electric cars in the UK have overtaken petrol cars
- But plug-in hybrids support the numbers
New data released by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) suggests that more electric vehicles have been sold over the past 12 months than petrol cars, marking the first time this monumental shift has been recorded.
The milestone comes amid continued debate over the UK government’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, with several manufacturers arguing that sales targets remain unrealistic without stronger consumer demand.
However, the latest data shows that in the 12 months to May 2026, UK consumers bought 516,490 new BEVs, compared to just 504,010 new petrol cars, according to analysis by Carbon Brief.
Similarly, data released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows that petrol and diesel car registrations fell by -7.1% and -2.2% respectively as electrified vehicles gained ground.
That said, claims that EVs are overtaking internal combustion vehicles are misleading, as while pure petrol cars have now slipped behind battery electric vehicles in the sales charts, internal combustion vehicles remain comfortably ahead when diesel, hybrid and plug-in hybrids are factored in.
This is because both conventional hybrids (HEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) still rely on an internal combustion engine. Although they are often grouped under the umbrella term “electrified vehicles”, neither is a fully electric car in the same sense as a battery-electric vehicle.
The latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reflect this distinction, listing battery electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid electric vehicles as separate categories rather than combining them into a single EV total.
According to the latest figures, battery-powered vehicles accounted for almost one in four new car registrations over the past year, overtaking the petrol models they were comfortably overtaking.
But when hybrid and plug-in hybrid registrations are added to petrol and diesel sales, internal combustion engines continue to dominate the overall market.
Analysis: This is still a big moment for electric cars
We should not downplay the importance of these numbers because they show a real shift away from conventional gasoline-powered cars and towards electrified alternatives.
Actually SMMT’s data actually softened the decline of gasoline engines as it labels “mild” hybrids as gasoline vehicles whose sales may mask the true decline of clean fossil fuel options, according to Arena EV.
But sales of these traditional hybrids, while still a significant number, have actually declined in recent years, while sales of plug-in hybrids are up 24% year-on-year in May 2026, according to European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) figures.
The SMMT data supports this fact, claiming that plug-in hybrid deliveries grew by 23.9% to take a larger market share of 13.8% in May this year. Battery electric vehicle (BEV) uptake, meanwhile, increased by 34.2% to take 27.3% of the market, the highest recorded so far in 2026.
It is clear that there is a noticeable shift in consumer buying habits, with more opting for plug-in hybrid variants, which undoubtedly act as a stepping stone to pure battery-powered electric cars.
Today’s plug-in hybrids, such as Omoda’s Super Hybrid System, can manage impressive mileage on a single charge of their battery packs, with 60-90 miles now relatively common.
In my personal experience, a large majority of drivers quickly realize that they rarely need much more than the range offered by the electric system in their plug-in hybrid, and being able to charge at home makes it easier to consider going full electric in the future.
Fossil fuel use may not be completely dead yet, but the numbers suggest that it is quickly falling out of fashion.
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