Plug-in car enquiries surge by 550% in September, reports carwow

A sharp increase in sales of new plug-in cars during September belies the
true scale of skyrocketing consumer demand for zero-emissions vehicles,
according to carwow the UK’s leading car marketplace.

carwow is reporting that 21% of all car sales concluded via its website and
app during September were for battery electric vehicles (BEVs), 6% were for
plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and 11% were non-plug-in hybrids.
These figures are significantly higher than in any previous month and also
much higher than has been seen across the UK’s new car market as a whole.

More significant still, however, is the fact that enquiries for BEVs and
PHEVs via the carwow website and app during September rose by 550%,
year-on-year.

Demand has been shifting rapidly away from internal combustion-engine
models, with plug-in car enquiries representing 22% of all new car enquiries
on the carwow site last month compared to just 6% in September 2020. This
figure rose to 31% during the last week of September.

The ongoing fuel crisis, where pumps in many parts of the UK have run dry,
is only accelerating demand for EVs. In fact, searches for new EVs on carwow
increased by 28% alone on Friday 24 September compared to the previous week,
were up 43% on Saturday 25th and went as high as 56% by Sunday 26th.

If consumer demand continues at its current rate, carwow predicts that half
of new cars sold through its marketplace will be electric or hybrid-powered
by the end of the year.

carwow currently has nine million registered users in the UK, and its
YouTube channel has over six million subscribers. It is one of the biggest
names in UK new car sales, and it has become a bellwether for the UK’s new
car market.

“The year-on-year growth of EV enquiries, configurations and sales are proof
that the electric revolution is upon us,” said Sepi Arani, Commercial
Director of carwow. “As well as being facilitated by a growth in choice,
this was driven in no small part by the faster availability of EV and hybrid
stock. But this is just the tip of the iceberg.

“The fuel shortage has completely changed the playing field for EV sales,
creating a seismic shift in consumer demand which will be here to stay. This
is great news for dealerships with robust, long-term EV strategies, a
potentially faster return on investment for manufacturers and a quicker
route to net zero.

“At the current run-rate, it’s increasingly likely that by the end of the
year half of the vehicles we help sell on carwow will be hybrid or electric.
The cars we drive and the ways we own them are changing forever.”

About carwow

With the mission of creating the ultimate online car buying and selling
experience, carwow helps its nine million users (UK) discover the best new
car for them and buy directly from trusted dealers, brokers and brands.

In 2021, it launched Sell Your Car following the acquisition of Wizzle,
meaning dealers can also buy stock directly from carwow’s users – with the
lowest buying fees on the market.

Having started life as a reviews aggregator, carwow has also become one of
the most influential names in consumer car media, with the biggest
automotive channel on YouTube (over six million subscribers) fronted by Mat
Watson.

Dedicated to helping the car industry embrace the online world, carwow
offers a suite of data-driven tools and services, including lead generation,
stock sourcing, brand building, e-commerce training, marketing and
advertising.

Headquartered in London, carwow employs over 250 people in the UK, Germany
and Spain with the backing of some of the most prestigious technology,
marketplace and automotive investors.

For more information visit www.dealers.carwow.co.uk