Number of Warwick electric vehicles almost tripled last year

The number of electric vehicles in Warwick almost tripled last year, new figures show.

The Government is aiming to entirely phase out petrol and diesel-powered cars by 2030, with battery electric vehicles planned to account for all car sales by 2035.

Auto Trader said the recent surge is positive, but that electric cars are still too expensive for many people to make the switch from petrol and diesel-powered vehicles.

Department for Transport figures show there were 6,353 battery-electric vehicles in Warwick at the end of last year – up from 2,151 at the end of 2020, a 195% rise.

It meant 4,202 electric vehicles were newly registered in 2021 – ​almost three times​ the 1,450 the year before.

Across the UK, the number of electric vehicles on the roads almost doubled, increasing by 94% from 215,000 at the end of 2020 to 420,000 last year.

On average, an electric car will emit around one-third less carbon dioxide than an equivalent petrol or diesel car, Transport & Environment, a European clean transport campaign group, says.

Ian Plummer, commercial director at Auto Trader, said the automotive industry has responded well to the Government's electric car drive.