The UK car market has reached a significant milestone with sales of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles surpassing petrol-only registrations for the first time in June.
According to industry figures, registrations of zero-emission electric vehicles rose 35 per cent to almost 63,950, giving battery-powered cars 30 per cent of the market.
Plug-in hybrids, which run primarily on battery power with a petrol engine in reserve, added a further 26,702 sales, up 25 per cent year on year, for a 12.5 per cent share.
Together, electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles comfortably outsold pure petrol cars, whose 84,541 registrations pushed their market share below 40 per cent for the first time, to 39.7 per cent.
The market share of diesel vehicles continues to decline, reaching just 3.8 per cent of new sales, while self-charging hybrids took 14 per cent.
The month's other notable trend was the increased presence of Chinese manufacturers in the UK market, with the three biggest Chinese exporters selling over 30,000 vehicles between them, taking more than 14 per cent of the market.
MG, a heritage British marque now owned by a Chinese company, claimed 4.9 per cent of the market, outselling Toyota and other Korean rivals.
Chery, another Chinese manufacturer, took 6.4 per cent across its Jaecoo and Omoda brands, while BYD, China's largest carmaker, accounted for just shy of 3 per cent.
Many in the trade believe a tipping point has been reached, with electrified vehicles now mainstream and increasingly available on the used market.
However, public charging costs and infrastructure remain a barrier for households without a driveway, with many unable to charge cheaply at home.
Industry experts highlight the affordability of used electric cars, which are now generally cheaper than their petrol equivalents, and the growing pool of used stock available to households that cannot justify a new electric car at list price.
With record used electric car sales in the first quarter and pump prices having swung by more than 20p a litre, experts predict that running costs will also become a key factor in driving sales of electric vehicles.
