For the first time ever, electric cars have filled the top two spots in the UK monthly registrations chart. SMMT figures released today show that the Tesla Model Y was the most popular new car in the UK (by registrations) in March, outselling the Model 3 by just seven cars. 

March was also the best ever month for battery electric vehicles with 78.7% growth to 39,315 units, while all electrified vehicles account for one in three registrations. Battery electric cars (BEVs), currently have a 16.1% market share in the year to date. 

39,315 is the highest volume of BEV registrations ever recorded in a single month, and means that more were registered in March 2022 than during the entirety of 2019. Plug-in hybrid (PHEVs) registrations declined by -7.5% to 16,037 units, but hybrids (HEVs) grew 28.4% to 27,737 units. As a result, electrified vehicles comprised more than a third (34.1%) of all new car registrations. By contrast, diesel registrations have fallen by 51.2% year to date while petrol demand has dropped by 15%. 

Although Tesla topped the charts for March, the UK’s biggest selling car in 2022 is the Vauxhall Corsa, followed by the Kia Sportage and Ford Puma. The highest-selling electric cars are the Tesla Model Y and Model 3 which appear in sixth and seventh places respectively. Tesla’s delivery logistics work in such a way that large volumes of cars are shipped and registered at the end of quarterly periods. 

SMMT figures show Tesla's impressive performance in March (image SMMT)