New research has revealed that the UK’s most popular electric car model is the Toyota Yaris, with over half a million licensed in the first three quarters of 2023. Among the top ten favorite electric cars in the UK, five other Toyota models made the list along with Kia Niro, Tesla Model 3, Nissan Qashqai, and Nissan LEAF.
An analysis of the latest official licensing data indicates that UK drivers have three main alternatives to traditional fossil-fueled vehicles: petrol-based hybrid electric vehicles (46.7%), battery electric vehicles (33.5%), and petrol-based plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (15.4%).
This study, conducted by Howden Insurance, analyzed data from the DVLA and the UK Department for Transport, covering generic car models licensed or registered in the UK from January to September 2023. The focus was on vehicles powered by fuels other than petrol, diesel, or gas.
Favourite Electric Car Models
Out of the 141,157,533 vehicles registered in the UK during the specified period, 8,950,261 were electric vehicles, constituting 6.3% of all registrations. The Toyota Yaris led the electric car category with over half a million licensed vehicles, making up 5.8% of the total electric cars in the UK.
Toyota dominated the top ten favorite electric cars in the UK, with models like Prius, C-HR, Corolla, Auris, and RAV4 among the most popular choices. Other contenders in the ranking included Kia Niro, Tesla Model 3, Nissan Qashqai, and Nissan LEAF.
Top 10 Electric Cars Licensed in the UK Between January and September of 2023
| # | Model | Licensed Cars (Q1-Q3 2023) | % of Electric Cars |
| 1 | Toyota Yaris | 518,500 | 5.8 |