Outlander PHEV remains most popular ultra-low emission vehicle
The data has been released by the RAC Foundation following analysis of DVLA figures, and shows that there were 12,066 Outlanders licensed at the end of Q2 2015, compared with 9,773 at the end of Q1 2015 – a 23% increase.
By comparison there were 9,310 pure battery-powered Nissan Leafs, a 13% increase on the 8,274 figure three months earlier.
Third in the list of licensed vehicles that qualify for the Government’s Plug-in Car and Van Grants is the BMW i3 (2,484, up 14%).
Overall, at the end of Q2 2015 there were 35,241 vehicles on the road in the UK that were eligible for the grants, a rise of 19% on the Q1 2015 figure of 29,673. However, this is down from the 38% growth during the previous quarter.
To put these numbers in perspective, in the UK there are 30.9m cars and 3.7m vans. Therefore those vehicles licensed and eligible for the plug-in car and van grants make up 0.1% of the total: roughly 1 in every 1,000.
Commenting on the figures, Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “The success of the Outlander looks to be down to three things: a high-profile advertising campaign, good range, and probably most importantly competitive pricing which makes it as affordable to buy as the diesel equivalent.
“But that price is dependent on the government grant. Ultimately all ultra-green cars will have to stack up commercially when the grants are withdrawn. What ministers must ensure is that both consumers and manufacturers have a clear idea of when and how the scheme will come to an end.
“It is worth noting that the growth in the number of ultra-low carbon vehicles on the road slowed significantly in the latest quarter compared with the previous. This is probably due to seasonal variations in car buying volumes but industry and ministers will be keeping a keen eye on the trends to make sure demand isn’t stalling.”
List of top 20 vehicles on the road either currently or previously offered with Government plug-in grants – as of Q2 2015
Rank |
Make and Model |
Q2 2015 |
Q1 2015 |
Q4 2014 |
1 |
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (all variants) |
12066 |
9773 |
5273 |
2 |
Nissan Leaf |
9310 |
8274 |
6838 |
3 |
BMW i3 |
2484 |
2186 |
1534 |
4 |
Renault Zoe |
2062 |
1621 |
1356 |
5 |
Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid |
1439 |
1395 |
1324 |
6 |
Vauxhall Ampera |
1250 |
1226 |
1169 |
7 |
Tesla Model S |
1047 |
903 |
698 |
8 |
BMW i8 |
823 |
546 |
279 |
9 |
Renault Kangoo ZE |
719 |
693 |
663 |
10 |
Nissan e-NV200 (all variants) |
705 |
518 |
399 |
11 |
Audi A3 e-tron |
570 |
300 |
66 |
12 |
Peugeot Ion |
368 |
376 |
368 |
13 |
Volkswagen Golf GTE |
350 |
4 |
0 |
14 |
Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid |
336 |
301 |
241 |
15 |
Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid |
299 |
275 |
232 |
16 |
Mitsubishi i-Miev |
252 |
254 |
266 |
17 |
Smart ForTwo Electric Drive |
215 |
216 |
205 |
18 |
Citroen C-Zero |
205 |
206 |
202 |
19 |
Mercedes-Benz S500 Hybrid |
138 |
76 |
14 |
20 |
Chevrolet Volt |
125 |
123 |
124 |