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  "path": "/lifestyle/cars/electric-car-sales-petrol-diesel-running-costs",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-05T09:23:17.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Petrol drivers in the firing line as Rachel Reeves' fuel move threatens new cost surge - 'Double blow'",
    "M6 traffic: Lorry spills offal on major motorway as drivers face hours of delays and long queues",
    "Drivers issued urgent petrol station warning as Britons could be punished for filling up",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nElectric vehicles made up one quarter of new car sales in February as thousands of drivers transitioned away from petrol and diesel, and towards cleaner transport.\n\nNew research from New AutoMotive shows that 20,610 new electric vehicles were registered in the second month of the year, accounting for 25 per cent of the new car market.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nAlthough this is a 0.2 per cent drop compared to 2025, experts have been buoyed by a huge 41.6 per cent jump in new registrations of electric vans.\n\nMore than 2,000 electric vans were registered last month, making up 13.8 per cent of the market, a record month for zero emission vans.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nElectric cars and plug-in hybrids continue to eat into the market share of petrol, with sales declining eight per cent year-on-year.\n\nDiesel continues to fall even further, with just 3,688 new cars sold in February, taking its market share to just 4.42 per cent of all sales.\n\nBen Nelmes, CEO at New AutoMotive, described the latest data as \"fantastic\" as drivers increasingly opt for electrified transport options.\n\nHe added: \"As we enter yet another fossil fuel price crisis, every electric vehicle is yet another step on the road to energy independence.\"\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTesla maintained its place at the top of the electric vehicle leaderboard, followed closely by Ford, then European manufacturers including Skoda, Volkswagen, BMW, Mini, Renault and Mercedes.\n\nBYD is the only Chinese brand to break into the top 10 best-selling brands in February, with other manufacturers, like Jaecoo and Omoda, not yet entering the list.\n\nThe Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate outlines that electric vehicles must make up 28 per cent of sales per manufacturer by the end of the year, before reaching 80 per cent in 2030.\n\nTesla, BYD, Geely, Volkswagen and SAIC have the largest surplus of ZEV credits to trade with other manufacturers who are failing to increase sales of electric cars.\n\n### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS\n\n\n\n\n  * Petrol drivers in the firing line as Rachel Reeves' fuel move threatens new cost surge - 'Double blow'\n  * M6 traffic: Lorry spills offal on major motorway as drivers face hours of delays and long queues\n  * Drivers issued urgent petrol station warning as Britons could be punished for filling up\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nBrands with the largest shortfalls include Stellantis, which has reset its electrification strategy at a cost of £19billion, in addition to Nissan and Toyota.\n\nWhile the ZEV mandate requires a 28 per cent target, flexibilities allow for the sale of cleaner vehicles to be included, with New AutoMotive estimating the real-world requirement to be around 19.4 per cent.\n\nGinny Buckley, chief executive of Electrifying.com, said: \"Every electric mile driven means less reliance on imported fossil fuels and more drivers running their cars on British electricity.\n\n\"The direction of travel is clear: drivers want cheaper running costs and greater energy security. Policy should reinforce that shift towards fully electric vehicles, not slowing it down.\"\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nSimilarly, John Lewis, CEO of char.gy, said the effective ZEV mandate target drop to 19 per cent was a \"worrying signal\", noting that the mandate was introduced to be ambitious and give automakers and drivers confidence about the switch to electric vehicles.\n\n\"If the Government wants EV adoption to keep accelerating, it needs to back the mandate with consistent supporting policy,\" Mr Lewis added.\n\nThe growth in electric vans was highlighted as being a major benefit for the UK's net zero ambitions, with electric heavy goods vehicles set to follow a similar trend in the near future, as noted by Simon Smith, CEO of Voltempo.\n\nHe called on the industry to boost infrastructure to help multiple fleets have confidence in the switch to electric mobility, lower costs and \"improve asset utilisation\".\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards:The GB News Editorial Charter **",
  "title": "Electric car sales soar as drivers snub petrol and diesel in favour of 'cheaper running costs'"
}