The UK’s favourite electric car model is the Toyota Yaris, new research has found. UK drivers licensed over half a million of them in the first three quarters of 2023.
Five other Toyota models ranked among Brits’ top ten favourite electric cars last year. Kia Niro, Tesla Model 3, Nissan Qashqai and Nissan LEAF are the only other car models featured in the ranking.
Analysis of the latest official licensing data suggests that there are three main alternatives to fossil-fuelled vehicles preferred by UK drivers: petrol-based hybrid electric vehicles (46.7%), battery electric vehicles (33.5%) and petrol-based plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (15.4%).
This is according to a new study from Howden Insurance, which analysed the latest data from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and the UK Department for Transport. It covers statistics on generic car models that have been officially licensed or have a Statutory Off-Road Notification (SORN) in the UK over the first three quarters of 2023. The study focuses on cars powered by fuels other than solely petrol, diesel or gas.
Favourite electric car models
There were 8,950,261 electric vehicles licensed in the UK between January and September 2023. This represents only 6.3% of all the 141,157,533 vehicles registered.
Toyota Yaris ranked first overall among all types of electric vehicles, with over half a million cars licensed in nine months. This accounts for 5.8% of all electric cars licensed in the UK within this period.
In fact, Toyota manufactures six out of the top ten favourite electric cars in the UK. There were 343,507 Toyota Prius cars and 296,209 Toyota C-HR vehicles licensed in the UK in the first three quarters of 2023. These are Brits’ second and third favourite electric cars, with a 3.8% and 3.3% market share, respectively. Toyota’s other popular electric models include Corolla, Auris and RAV4.
Kia Niro ranked fourth in the UK’s favourite electric car models, with 3.2% of eco-conscious drivers opting for it. It is followed by Tesla Model 3 with a 3.1% market share and Nissan Qashqai, preferred by 2.6% of drivers seeking an electric alternative. Nissan LEAF also made the top ten UK’s favourite electric cars, with 166,941 models licensed in the first nine months of 2023.
