Electric car sales surge to record high as Brits beat 2040 petrol and diesel ban

MORE than 35,000 plug-in cars have been sold this year as Brits go green.

Eco-conscious drivers are switching to electric and hybrid motors in record numbers, according to the latest figures from Go Ultra Low.

So far 11,127 new pure battery cars have been registered in 2017 with 24,276 plug-in hybrids finding homes in the UK.

And the last three months have seen record-breaking sales as Brits look to beat the 2040 diesel and petrol ban.

Pure EVs are up 37 per cent this year and plug-in hybrids by 15 per cents.

Regular hybrids - which don't have a plug-in option - are also up by nearly 50 per cent in 2017 to 57,904.

Cities could also soon become zero emissions zones, too, with Oxford plotting a ban on polluting cars by 2020.

Buyers have never had more choice with more and more manufacturers jumping on the electric bandwagon.

Just this week Land Rover unveiled its new plug-in Range Rover and Jaguar has committed to adding electric power to all models by 2020.

And other manufacturers, like Volvo, have followed suit by announcing they won't produce diesel motors soon.

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The surging sales figures for electric cars mean the total number of plug-ins on UK roads now total 120,000.

And buyers can continue to cash in on government grants worth up to £4,500 off the list price of eco cars.

One of the stumbling blocks for continued EV uptake is charging points.

But the government is trying to plug the gap with £100million being invested in infrastructure by 2021.

Poppy Welch, head of Go Ultra Low, said: “It is great to see that the popularity of plug-in cars continues to grow at a record pace."