The variety of new automobiles purchased by British non-public consumers final yr was lower than in 2020, when the nation was within the midst of the Covid pandemic.

About 746,000 automobiles have been offered to personal consumers in 2024, about 1,000 lower than 5 years in the past, when automobile purchases have been briefly halted by lockdowns. It was additionally 8.7% decrease than 2023.

Regardless of this, automobile gross sales nonetheless rose by 2.6% to 1.95 million in 2023. Nevertheless, 1.16 million of those have been fleet gross sales (up 11.8% year-on-year), accounting for six out of 10 new automobiles offered.

It is a worrying place to be in, stated Mike Hawes, head of the Society of Motor Producers and Merchants (SMMT), because the cut up between non-public and fleet gross sales was nearer to equal.

Hawes blamed the decline in non-public gross sales on “the confusion for consumers about which automobile to purchase”, a remark aimed toward combined messages from the federal government over the previous few years.

This was a key motive why many carmakers failed to fulfill the federal government’s zero-emission automobile (ZEV) mandate goal of twenty-two%, the SMMT claimed, with just one in 10 new automobiles offered to personal consumers utilizing battery-powered is powered.

A market share of 19.6%, though under goal, was a document for EVs – one of many few positives to return out of the yr. Throughout 2024, 381,959 EVs have been offered, 21.4% larger than in 2023 – the yr’s largest enhance.

This complete made EVs the second hottest automobile kind after petrol (1.02 million gross sales) and plug-in hybrids (261,396).

In an indication of the instances, petrol automobile gross sales have been about 40,000 down on 2023 and fewer than 125,000 diesel automobiles have been offered.

“It ought to be successful story, with a document share of EV gross sales and (total) numbers up,” Hawes instructed journalists at a year-end briefing. “However the price of delivering it, and it (EV gross sales) nonetheless shy of the federal government’s ZEV targets, casts a shadow.”

He added: “If we did not have the (ZEV) mandate, we might say it was a very good yr.”

Hawes used the 2024 outcomes to once more name on the federal government to convey again buy incentives for EV consumers, which have been pulled in 2022. This could be within the type of decreased VAT on automobile purchases and VAT parity between public and residential levy.

“Incentives make a giant distinction as they assist individuals in these automobiles whereas additionally sending the best messages,” Hawes stated.

He added that fleet incentives – delivered via tax breaks in variety – ought to be handed on to personal consumers.

similar to that, Paul Philpott, Kia UK boss, instructed Autocar: “There are usually not sufficient roots for the customers, besides within the fleet market, and the fleet person voter proves that the place they’ve comparatively smart incentives behind electrical automobiles, consumers wish to attempt them ; the place there is not, they’re extra reluctant to maneuver in numbers.”