Electric car sales reach 15% of marketshare, claims BuyaCar

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Electric car sales have reached their highest-ever level in the used market, according to the online car supermarket BuyaCar.co.uk.

After languishing for most of the year at around one in every hundred sales, December has seen them taking 15% of market share.

The surge in demand for EVs is believed to have been largely inspired by the recent announcement of a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel models from 2030.

BuyaCar analysts believe that although motorists still have plenty of time to stick with their familiar existing petrol, diesel and hybrid models, consumer curiosity about all-electric cars has reached a historic tipping point.

And while EVs still tend to be significantly more expensive than ICE (internal combustion engine) cars in the new market, those price premiums are less pronounced among second-hand cars.

According to BuyaCar.co.uk, the used market may be key to the future mass adoption of EVs, by enabling more cost-conscious car buyers to take a tentative first step into electric motoring.

News that December has seen a breakthrough in used EV sales came as the Nissan Leaf was crowned as Britain’s best used electric car by BuyaCar’s sister site DrivingElectric.co.uk, which focuses on plug-in cars.

Christofer Lloyd, editor of BuyaCar.co.uk, believes that early examples of the Nissan Leaf are increasingly being sought as an entry-level EV model of choice for families who want an inexpensive practical second car for local trips. With the Leaf now available for headline prices as low as £5,500 he suggests that many customers now see such examples as the perfect way to become accustomed to all-electric motoring without the outlay or risk they might feel going straight for electric as the main household vehicle.

“Searches have steadily increased over the past few weeks, to the point where more than one in 10 customers are arriving on our site with an EV in mind as their initial choice,” says Lloyd. “And now we are seeing EVs taking 15% of the market, it is clear that a breakthrough is underway.”

Chris Price
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