Electric cars mark 'turning point' on UK roads as petrol and diesel sales grind to a halt - 'Crystal clear'

Petrol and diesel car sales have become a "zero-sum game," with manufacturers fighting over tiny gains of just one or two per cent. In contrast, battery-powered cars were found to be opening the door to new customers and major market growth.

The research suggested that the car industry is now at a "turning point" with traditional car sales offering little room for expansion due to nearly everyone who wants a petrol or diesel car already having one.

In contrast, experts explained that electric cars have been developing quickly due to the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate, which will ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2030.

British brand, Mini, owned by BMW, has held roughly six to seven per cent of the small petrol and diesel car market for the past five years, marking steady but not growing dominance.

However, experts detailed how, since launching its first electric model in 2020, Mini's market share in the electric "B-segment" has soared to 20 per cent this year, triple its usual standing in the traditional market.

Ford has also seen huge growth with the American manufacturer's electric sales stuck at just two per cent in 2023, but shot up to more than 34 per cent in October this year due to the growing popularity of its electric models like the Explorer, Capri, and Puma.

These new cars covered a wider price range from around £26,000 for the entry-level Puma up to over £40,000 for the premium Mustang.

Chinese brands were the early winners in the affordable EV market, largely because they moved first. MG's MG4 model grabbed a massive 54 per cent share of the small and medium-sized affordable electric car market by 2023.

Its success came down to its £26,000 price tag and the lack of competition from European brands at the time, the advocate group stated.

European and British manufacturers have hit back hard against the growing dominance of Chinese electric cars across the region.

In 2025 alone, seven new affordable models arrived across the UK and Europe, including the Renault 5 and the electric Ford Puma.

Together, they helped European makers win back 22 percentage points of market share in just the first half of the year. Chinese brands' share dropped to 33 per cent as a result.

There's also a huge wave of investment behind this shift, with the ZEV mandate triggering £23billion in EV and battery investment across the UK over the past three years with another £6billion committed to building charging infrastructure by 2030.

Research from Persuasion UK found that almost three-fifths of new car buyers expect their next car to be electric. That's far higher than the ZEV mandate's targets of 28 per cent for this year and 33 per cent for 2026.

Tim Dexter, T&E UK's vehicle policy manager, said: "The electric vehicle market isn't just an opportunity, it's a turning point for carmakers ready to lead.

"Whether it's Tesla, BYD or Geely, multi-billion-pound businesses have been built by getting ahead of the curve.

"Legacy manufacturers can do the same if they act boldly and get their BEV strategy right. We're already seeing car brands grow their market share with electric models, even where their petrol and diesel sales have stalled."

He warned that UK manufacturers must not "buy into the critics' doubts" when the data and business case for electric vehicle growth are "crystal clear".