A record number of UK businesses and consumers are opting to reduce their fuel bills by choosing ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs), according to research by Go Ultra Low.
The latest registration figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders reveal that more than 41% of all alternatively-fuelled cars registered in the first quarter of 2015 qualified for the government’s plug-in car grant, up from 13% over the same period in 2014.
In the first quarter of 2015, 8,573 passenger vehicles with CO2 emissions lower than 75 g/km were registered, a year-on-year increase of 386% from 1,764, as more drivers saw ULEVs as alternatives to traditionally-fuelled cars.
In the first three months of the year, 4,759 (2014: 771) were acquired by fleets, 1,286 (2014: 390) by sub-25 fleets with the remainder by private customers. The most popular choice of car was the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, followed by the Nissan Leaf and BMW i3.
Businesses running commercial vehicles also showed signs of increasing adoption of electric vans, with volumes totalling 263 units in January-March 2015 – a growth rate of 353% and up from 58 in Q1 2014.
Hetal Shah, head of Go Ultra Low, a joint initiative by government and the UK automotive industry, said: “The latest plug-in vehicle uptake figures prove that ultra-low emission cars and vans make sense for both private and business users, especially with the potential for fuel costs as low as 2p a mile and reduced whole life running costs.”