Private ownership of electric cars soars in 2026
Private ownership of electric cars rose by 10.7% in the first three months of the year, according to new analysis by The AA.
Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics show there were 860,334 privately owned electric cars on UK roads at the end of the first quarter of 2026. This is an increase of 271,382 on the same period last year and 83,136 more than at the end of 2015.
The surge in sales is being driven partly by the fuel crisis, with the AA’s June EV Readiness Index revealing that ‘range anxiety’ is being replace by ‘pump anxiety.’
Meanwhile, growth is increasingly being seen across the whole of the UK, with Wales recording annual growth in private electric vehicle ownership of 55% England, Scotland, and Norther Ireland all seeing growth in excess of 45%.
In total, there were 1,864,018 electric cars on UK roads at the end of the first quarter of 2026, up by 461,382 (32.9%) compared with the same period last year.
Edmund King, AA president, said: “Private ownership of electric cars continues to move from strength to strength. More than 83,000 additional privately owned electric cars were added in just three months, showing that more drivers are making the switch to electric motoring.
“It’s also encouraging to see where that growth is taking place. The strongest increases are no longer confined to the areas that embraced electric cars first. Wales led all four UK nations for annual growth, while the East Midlands topped the English regional table, with strong performances right across the Midlands and the north.
“The continued expansion of the used EV market is helping to bring electric motoring within reach of many more households. This may be due to drivers feeling higher fuel prices following the conflict in the Middle East which have reminded many just how expensive petrol and diesel can become, making the long-term running costs of an EV even more attractive.”
