Tesla triumphs in electric cars’ best sales month ever

TESLA’S electric Model 3 was the best-selling car last month as the fuel crisis gripped the nation’s forecourts.

Purely electric cars enjoyed their best ever month for sales, accounting for more than 15 per cent of all car purchases.

A total of 32,721 new electric cars were registered – only around 5,000 less than the number for the whole of 2019. But overall car sales for the month were at the lowest levels since 1998, figures show.

It was also the first time a fully electric car has topped the best-seller list. September is the second point each year when new registration plates are released – meaning new car sales are traditionally high.

Some observers put the surge in interest in electric vehicles partly down to the ongoing panic at the petrol pumps.

Plug-in hybrid vehicle sales also grew and accounted for 6 per cent of all new registrations, meaning one in five cars sold last month was capable of zero emissions. Petrol cars were still the most popular, with 94,314 sold – 44 per cent of all sales.

The Tesla Model 3 topped the best-seller list with 6,879 sold, followed by the Vauxhall Corsa (5,235) and the BMW 3 Series (4,788).

But it was the weakest performance for new motor registrations in September since 1998, the year before the twoplate system – in March and September – was introduced.

This is down to the global shortage of semiconductor chips, which has seen some manufacturers pause assembly lines and reduce shifts.

At Jaguar Land Rover, customers have been warned they may have to wait more than 12 months for some new models.

Experts say the shortage may affect supply chains until mid2022. It has also led to a boom in the second-hand sales market.

Ian Plummer, commercial director of Auto Trader, said: ‘According to our recent research, most buyers are only prepared to wait four to six weeks for a new car.’

He added that a second-hand car on the website sold for an average of £16,067 last month, compared with £13,829 in September last year.

Mike Hawes, head of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said it was a ‘desperately disappointing September’.

Mr Plummer added: ‘The petrol crisis was temporary but the impact on consumer attitudes is not. The idea that you’ll always be able to fill your tank has gone out the window.

‘In that respect, one of the big barriers to electric vehicle adoption has been smashed. Range anxiety has been replaced by fuel anxiety.’

‘Desperately disappointing’