More electric vehicles were registered than diesel cars for the second month in a row in July, according to car industry figures.
It is the third time battery electric vehicles have overtaken diesel in the past two years.
However, new car registrations fell by almost a third, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said.
The industry was hit by the “pingdemic” of people self-isolating and a continuing chip shortage.
In July, battery electric vehicle registrations again overtook diesel cars, but registrations of petrol vehicles far outstripped both.
Cars can be registered when they are sold, but dealers can also register cars before they go on sale on the forecourt.
People are starting to buy electric vehicles more as the UK tries to move towards a lower carbon future.
The UK plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, and hybrids by 2035.
That should mean that most cars on the road in 2050 are either electric, use hydrogen fuel cells, or some other non-fossil fuel technology.
In July there was “bumper growth” in the sale of plug-in cars, the SMMT said, with battery electric vehicles taking 9% of sales. Plug-in hybrids reached 8% of sales, and hybrid electric vehicles were at almost 12%.
This is compared with a 7.1% market share for diesel, which saw 8,783 registrations.
In June, battery electric vehicles also outsold diesel, and this also happened in April 2020.
July is normally a relatively quiet month in the car trade. Buyers at this time of year are often waiting until the September number plate change before investing in new wheels.
But even so, the latest figures illustrate clearly the major changes going on in the industry.
More electric cars were registered than diesels, and by a significant margin, for the second month in a row.
That’s a consequence both of the continued catastrophic fall in demand for diesel and increased sales of electric cars.
Over the year to date, diesel still has a small edge, but on current trends that won’t last.
Read more: BBC
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