Sales soar for new cars that are green outside and in

Registrations of new green cars were up 74% last year.

Demand for new green cars soared by nearly three-quarters last year amid a surge in sales of electric models (rapisan sawangphon/Alamy Stock Photo/PA)

Demand for new green cars soared by nearly three-quarters last year amid a spike in sales of electric models.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said 31,220 new cars were registered in that colour in 2022.

That was the most in 16 years and represented a 74.2% increase on the previous 12 months.

Nearly a quarter (24.1%) of last year’s new green cars could be plugged in, including pure electrics and plug-in hybrids.

That suggests many buyers who chose a green car were keen to emphasise the cleaner credentials of their purchase compared with traditional vehicles.

New green cars were most popular in London, where 1,894 were registered.

The market share for plug-in cars of all colours rose from 18.6% in 2021 to 22.9% last year.

Grey increased its dominance as the UK’s most popular new car colour by accounting for 25.7% of all new cars registered last year, up from 24.8% in 2021.

It was a monochrome top three in 2022, with black in second place (20.1%) followed by white (16.7%).

More than three out of five (62.5%) new cars joining UK roads last year were either grey, black or white.

The other colours with a market share of more than 1% were blue (16.0%), red (8.5%), silver (6.1%), green (1.9%) and orange (1.2%).

SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: “A resurgence of green coloured cars is apt given last year more people chose a zero-emission electric vehicle than ever before.

“With the choice of electric models and battery ranges continuing to grow, there’s never been a better time to choose emission-free driving.

“Car colour choice theoretically proclaims something about who we are as drivers, and buying a car today comes with many possibilities to customise your vehicle to match.

“After choosing from the market’s ever-growing choice of makes, models, powertrains, wheel trims and in-car tech, picking out the perfect paint is an exciting decision to make.

“While the most popular shades remained unchanged for 2022, for those looking to ensure their vehicle stands out from the crowd there remains a huge variety of colour choices from across the rainbow available to suit every character.”

A total of 1.61 million new cars were registered in the UK last year, as the global shortage of semiconductors and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic affected sales.

That represented a 2.0% decrease on 2021 and was a quarter below pre-coronavirus levels.