UK electric car choice doubles to 171 models in three years, SMMT says

Also this week: Chinese car brands' UK market share nearly triples to 15.8% · 15 stories · 29 Sep 2026

Electric vehicles dominated this week's fleet news, with the UK's EV model choice doubling to 171 in three years and Chinese brands nearly tripling their market share. Leasing firms reported strong salary sacrifice EV demand, new charging infrastructure opened, and SMMT pressed politicians to strengthen commercial vehicle decarbonisation support.

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The number of fully electric car models on sale to UK buyers has doubled in three years, according to the SMMT. There were 86 battery electric models available in August 2023; that figure has since grown to 171, with 85 new BEVs reaching the market over the period.

The SMMT said the pace of launches amounts to a new fully electric model arriving roughly every fortnight over the past three years.

The trade body noted that new vehicles typically take between three and five years to develop and bring to market.

SMMT figures also show the latest BEVs can travel an average of 300 miles on a single charge, and that three quarters of new car models sold in the UK are now zero emission-capable.

UK new car buyers can now choose from around 385 models across all powertrains and more than 60 global brands, the SMMT said.

(Source: SMMT)

East Durham College seeks tenders for five wheelchair-accessible minibuses under a five-year fully maintained lease.

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East Durham College, a further education college in County Durham, has invited tenders under reference CA18483 for the supply and maintenance of college minibuses, according to a notice on Contracts Finder.

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Analysis of the leasing provider's own 100,000-driver base finds employees are using nearly-new EV salary sacrifice deals to access premium models such as the Tesla Model Y and BMW 4 Series that they would be less likely to choose new.

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Tusker has published analysis of its own customer and driver data showing sharp growth in demand for its Pre-loved (nearly-new) electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme. The leasing provider says it analysed data from its 3,000 employer customers and 100,000 drivers to assess uptake of the scheme.

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The six-bay Duxford hub, delivered through the eFREIGHT 2030 project, gives the family haulier up to 1MW of dynamically distributed power and joins a matching facility at Bedford.

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Welch's Transport has opened a new megawatt-scale eHGV charging hub at its Cambridge headquarters as part of the eFREIGHT 2030 project, according to Voltempo, which delivered the infrastructure.

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AA research finds Chinese brands took 15.8% of UK new vehicle sales in August 2026, up from 5.5% a year earlier, even as its survey of AA members shows many drivers remain wary of buying Chinese-made cars.

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Chinese vehicle brands captured 15.8% of UK new vehicle sales in August 2026, almost three times their 5.5% share in August 2025, according to the AA's latest EV Readiness Index, as reported by Transport+Energy.

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The integration lets Zapmap app and card users pay directly at Source's ultra-rapid charging hubs, adding to a network with plans for 300 sites across the UK and Ireland by 2030.

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Source has officially joined Zapmap as a payment partner, enabling drivers to pay directly for charging at Source's ultra-rapid hubs across the UK via the Zapmap app or charging card, EV Fleet World reported.

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Ahead of party conference season, SMMT says electric van uptake hit a record 16.3% share in August but remains below the 2026 mandate level, while HGV registrations fell and zero emission trucks stayed around 1% of the market.

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SMMT has published a statement calling for commercial vehicles to be treated as a central part of the political debate as parties head into conference season, arguing that vans and HGVs represent "an opportunity to strengthen productivity, drive competitiveness and support skilled jobs in every region" rather than a niche transport issue.

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From 1 January 2027 Charge Max and Charge Pro will be the only chargers Easee sells into EU markets, as Charge Core and Charge Up are phased out and the planned Charge Up2 is scrapped.

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Easee has announced that from 1 January 2027, Charge Max and Charge Pro will become the only chargers it sells into EU markets, replacing Charge Core and Charge Up with a single, AFIR and ISO 15118-compliant line-up.

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Ayvens plans to expand light commercial vehicle and used electric vehicle leasing services through 2029.

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Ayvens announced that it is targeting 10% growth in its light commercial vehicle leasing segment between 2026 and 2029, as part of a new strategic plan.

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The Neue Klasse i3, which began series production at BMW's Munich plant in August 2026, was lined up as lead car for the men's elite race as BMW marked its 15th appearance as title partner of the Berlin Marathon.

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BMW Group said the new, all-electric BMW i3 would serve as the official lead vehicle for the men's elite race group at the 2026 BMW Berlin Marathon, in one of its first active public appearances. BMW served as title partner for the 15th time, with more than 84,000 athletes from 162 nations taking part.

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In a profile published by SMMT, Volvo Bus UK & Ireland's National Account Manager sets out how the manufacturer supports operators through the switch to zero tailpipe emission buses, and credits the ScotZEB and ZEBRA funding programmes with helping close the investment gap on infrastructure and depot upgrades.

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SMMT published a Q&A profile with Saskia Legate, National Account Manager at Volvo Bus UK & Ireland, on 24 September 2026 as part of its 'Five Minutes With…' series.

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From a specialist vet fleet chasing DVSA Earned Recognition to a decorator chain rolling out route optimisation nationwide, SMMT's latest case studies show how transport management systems and driver apps are replacing paperwork across very different operations.

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SMMT has published a feature detailing how four UK fleet operators, Vetspeed, DAW Logistics, The Truck Doctor and Brewers Decorator Centres, have adopted digital fleet management systems to streamline operations and cut paperwork.

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The seven-seat electric SUVs have been converted with emergency lighting, a bullhorn and telematics for frontline incident response, with National Highways weighing further purchases later in 2026 depending on how the trial goes.

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National Highways has begun trialling four all-electric Hyundai Ioniq 9 SUVs as traffic officer response vehicles on England's motorways and major A-roads, according to SMMT. The pilot will assess how the seven-seat model performs in frontline operational use, combining zero tailpipe emissions, long electric range, rapid charging and the load capacity required for emergency response duties.

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The free online accreditation covers charging, in-life costs and the customer journey, after EVA England survey data found only a quarter of used EV buyers rated their dealership handover as good or excellent, compared with 34% of new car buyers.

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A new industry initiative called EV Retail Ready launched this week, developed by the BVRLA, IMDA and EVA England, offering independent dealers free, practical training designed to help them confidently stock and sell used electric vehicles.

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Supplied by NRG Riverside, the electric vans will run final-mile delivery routes from AIT's Northampton and Enfield depots as part of the home delivery specialist's wider push to cut fleet emissions.

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AIT Home Delivery, a wholly owned subsidiary of AIT Worldwide Logistics, has added two Mercedes-Benz eSprinter electric vans to its delivery fleet, FleetPoint reports.

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