Rise in number of electric cars on Fife roads is revealed

It comes as the Government aims to entirely phase out petrol and diesel-powered cars by 2030, with battery-electric vehicles planned to account for all car sales by 2035.

Department for Transport figures show 1924 battery-electric cars were registered in Fife at the end of last year – up from 1,212 the year before. A total of 970 hybrid petrol and diesel cars were also licensed – up from 670 in 2021. The AA said the numbers showed the appetite for electric vehicles “is steadily growing", adding improved charging infrastructure and more affordable price points could see the total number break the 1 million mark this year.

Across the UK, 629,000 battery-electric cars were licensed at the end of 2022 – up by 66% from 379,000 at the end of 2021.

But Ian Plummer, commercial director at Auto Trader, said the online car marketplace has seen interest in brand-new electric vehicles drop by almost two thirds since the beginning of last year.

Mr Plummer said: "The uptake is positive and moving in the right direction, but it’s not where we need to be if we’re to meet the Government’s admirable, but ambitious 2030 targets."

He added "substantial measures to support the market", such as cutting VAT on public chargers, should be introduced to further encourage buyers.

"To reach the Government’s goal, the focus needs to be on converting the masses and making EVs more accessible across different demographics," he said.