Two in every five (39.5%) cars made in the UK are now either high-tech hybrid electric (HEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV) or battery electric vehicles (BEVs), according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

July saw 30,180 electric vehicles rolling off UK production lines, a massive 74% increase compared to July last year.

Since January, UK car makers have now turned out more than 200,000 of these vehicles, almost double the number produced in the same period last year, and a total of 526,619 cars overall, an increase of 14.2% year-on-year.

Total UK car production meanwhile surged in July, rising 31.6% to mark the sixth consecutive month of growth with 76,451 vehicles destined for both domestic and export markets.

The SMMT said this demonstrated car makers were recovering from recent difficulties, such as global chip shortages, although output remained -29.4% lower than pre-pandemic July 2019.