Battery Electric Vehicle News / Enjoying the Transportation Revolution

QrizB

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81889500#Comment_81889500

I've got one right now, in my Fiat 500L. Just ticked over 100k miles and no engine problems in my 4 years of ownership.

Magnitio

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81890358#Comment_81890358

But how does it compare with the e-Up?

thevilla

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81890819#Comment_81890819

Our SEAT Mii Electric is 4 yrs old but only 30k miles. No problems. It also doesn't contribute much (brake / tyre dust?) to air pollution so we don't avoid eye contact with the local kids 😁

QrizB

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81890819#Comment_81890819

They're very different vehicles. It would be difficult to move my kids into/out of university digs with the e-UP! for example, but the e-UP! is more handy for local trips.

When I bought the 500L in 2022 I was really hoping to buy an EV but it was the post-COVID car price spike and there wasn't anything in the same class available as an EV within my budget.

With luck that problem won't recur when I come to replace the 500L in a few years from now.

silverwhistle

That’s a personal choice but Peugeot has historically made very good diesel engines.

It was more a reference to the vehicle package as a whole and the retrograde step of going back to diesels. Having driven Perkins engined Maestro pool cars and then with relief moving on to Peugeots I'm aware they got that bit right. Plus a gearbox that allowed you to overtake tractors.. oh, yes, personal experience alright! ;-)

But I don't think I'm being excessively cynical when I see Stellantis' public announcements as part of a softening up exercise before calling for assistance.

JKenH

BUSIEST FEBRUARY FOR NEW CARS SINCE 2004 BUT EV DEMAND IDLES

Battery electric vehicle (BEV) uptake rose 2.8% to 21,840 units, representing 24.2% of the market. February was, however, the second consecutive month of decline in BEV market share compared with the same period last year – a dip that partly reflects a strong start to 2025, when new BEV buyers sought to avoid April’s introduction of new tax rates, and comes after a strong push at the end last year to comply with the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate.

Meanwhile, plug-in hybrids attracted the largest growth in demand, up 43.5% to claim an 11.6% market share, while hybrid electric registrations rose 3.3% to a 13.1% share. 

Feb Fuel 2026 and YTD cars.png

Edit

But if the figures seem disappointing they aren’t:

“BEVs accounted for around a quarter of all new car registrations in February with more than a third of new cars having a plug when PHEVs are included.

While BEV registrations were broadly stable compared with February 2025, petrol and diesel registrations continued to decline, falling 8% and 11% respectively, according to data from New Automotive.

Separate figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed BEV uptake rose 2.8% to 21,840 units, representing 24.2% of the market.

The pattern reflects the continued structural shift away from internal combustion vehicles even as the overall car market grows modestly, New Automotive added.

Growth in hybrid and PHEV registrations has reduced the effective ZEV target for manufacturers, pushing the estimated real-world requirement for BEV sales down to around 19.4% this year.

As a result, the market is currently tracking above the adjusted target, with year-to-date BEV sales already exceeding the level required for compliance. However, the increased reliance on hybrids and PHEVs highlights how ZEV mandate flexibilities can alter the pace of full electrification even as the transition continues overall, New Automotive said.

Ben Nelmes, CEO at New AutoMotive, said: 

“It is fantastic to see one in four motorists opting for an electric car in February. This great progress is consolidating UK leadership in electrified transport. As we enter yet another fossil fuel price crisis, every electric vehicle is yet another step on the road to energy independence.”

Tanya Sinclair, CEO, Electric Vehicles UK, said:

“Whatever the mix of powertrains in any given month, the underlying trend remains the same. Electric vehicles are expanding choice, improving value, and delivering strong performance across the market.”

Colin Walker, Head of Transport at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) said: 

“One in four new cars sold in February was an EV, meaning sales are already ahead of the real target that the car industry needs to hit to comply with its sales targets for 2026. At a time when oil prices are rising due to conflict in the Middle East, the 1.8 million EVs now on British roads are not just providing cheaper driving but also cutting the UK’s dependence on foreign petrol imports.”

 Apologies for any formatting issues but the new platform just doesn’t work very well with my iPad, particularly when editing a post.

Martyn1981

Little bit of UK bus news.

New ZEBRA funding round: UK subsidises 484 electric buses

The UK government is providing an additional €85 million as part of its ZEBRA program. The funds will subsidise the purchase of a total of 484 new zero-emission buses. Nearly half of the funding will go to Sheffield, where the local transport authority will deploy 186 electric buses.

Martyn1981

Car article focusing on the long(er) term survivability of legacy auto if they don't get on with the EV transition fast enough. My thoughts entirely, as a slow foot dragging approach, may help with short term profits, but not a sensible financial approach to the medium/long term BEVolution.

‘It’s stupid’: why western carmakers’ retreat from electric risks dooming them to irrelevance

Now western car manufacturers are making what one former boss calls a similar “profound strategic mistake” as they pull back from electric vehicles (EVs) and refocus on the combustion engine just as oil prices are soaring once again. Experts say the industry’s future – and that of tens of millions of jobs – could be on the line. This time, however, the threat is from China.

Cheap, well-made electric cars from brands such as BYD and Leapmotor are finding buyers across Europe. BYD overtook Tesla as the world’s biggest EV seller this year. Chinese marques are fast seizing the market share once dominated by the likes of Volkswagen, Ford, Peugeot and Renault.

In the US, the pullback has been even more severe. Donald Trump has in effect wiped out the country’s electrification push by cancelling tax credits for consumers and dismantling exhaust emissions rules, which he calls a scam.

These companies are “having a hard time”, said Julia Poliscanova, the director for EVs at the Brussels thinktank Transport & Environment. “They have tariffs in the US, they are nowhere in China [where homegrown brands are booming] … So they’re thinking: ‘Maybe at least in Europe, we can have a few years where we prioritise short-term profits selling petrol and diesel cars.’

“That is probably a valid business view if your term as a CEO finishes in two years,” she added. “That is a stupid view if you still want to be in the car market in 2035.”

JKenH

That’s one point of view and perhaps not unexpected from the Guardian/T&E. This is an argument that has been pushed for at least the last 6 years on this forum. The facts however don’t stand up. Tesla are the only pure EV manufacturer making a profit. BYD make a profit largely because of their vertical integration and the manufacture of PHEVs. But Tesla’s profits and market share have been falling and this is in a landscape where governments have been falling over themselves to promote EVs and penalise ICE manufacture. Li Auto made a profit but their speciality is range extenders. If other Chinese EV manufacturers can’t make a profit despite China controlling the supply chain and the Chinese government supporting EV manufacturers then realistically there is little point Western EV manufacturers continuing the struggle.

Meanwhile Toyota who have eschewed EVs in favour of hybrids are achieving record sales.

I think it is time to be realistic. Without government support for EVs (substantial tax advantages and grants in the UK) and penalties for ICE manufacture, EV sales would still be foundering in single % figures. Imagine what the situation would be if manufacturers were penalised £15k for selling an EV. ICE/hybrid sales are holding up incredibly well in the face of the obstacles being thrown in their way.

Yes, Chinese brands are increasing sales in Europe but that is because of price - not because they are EVs. The proportion of Chinese cars sold in Europe that were EVs actually fell in 2025 as buyers opt for hybrids.

Magnitio

An example of a manufacturer making a profit from excellent EV's at a reasonable price:

https://www.skoda-storyboard.com/en/press-releases/skoda-auto-hit-another-record-year-in-2025-will-double-its-all-electric-portfolio-in-2026/