RAC comment on May new car sales figures

Sales of new cars were down 14.7% last month compared with May 2019, new figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders reveal, but plug-in vehicles are taking an increasing share of the new car market.

RAC spokesman Simon Williams said: “May was a very significant month for the sale of battery electric cars as the 13,120 sold took the total number registered since 2010 past the 250,000 milestone. So far this year the number of pure electric cars sold has already surpassed that of 2019 and is half the total sold last year. This is a clear sign that drivers are embracing electric and with fewer restrictions it looks like even better BEV sales figures will be posted in the coming months.

“With more and more of our patrol vans being kitted out with our industry-leading lightweight EV chargers fears about running out of juice mid-journey are fast disappearing which should give even more drivers the confidence to make the switch to electric.”