Registrations of ultra-low emission vehicles increased 31% year-on-year in the first quarter of the year. And the growth trend will continue says the National Franchised Dealers Association.

In the first quarter of 2016, 11,755 ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs), such as plug-in hybrids and all-electric vehicles, were registered in the UK, 1% of all new vehicles registrations.

These figures show an increase of 31% compared to last year when ULEVs were accounting for 0.8% of all new registrations, and they were up 508% compared to 2014 when their new vehicles share was 0.2%.

“Ultra-low emission vehicles have shown a solid and steady growth and this positive trend is set to continue”, said Sue Robinson, director of the NFDA which represents franchised car and commercial vehicle retailers across the UK, commenting on the latest report released by the Department for Transport.

“In January to March 2016, most of newly registered ULEVs - 11,243 cars and 262 vans - were eligible for grants offered by the Government.

“We are pleased to see that efforts made by the Government are facilitating the shift to modern transportation.

“The e-commerce boom will support in particular the growth of plug-in vans and thanks to this we expect the market to continue to rise.”