Battery electric car sales increased by 10.8% in August due to summer discounts and new models.
This growth raised the market share of electric cars to 22.6%.
Sales of petrol and diesel cars dropped by 10.1% and 7.3%, respectively, but these cars still made up 56.8% of new car registrations.
Sales of plug-in hybrids fell by 12.3%, while hybrid electric cars saw a 36.1% rise, holding 13.8% of the market.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) expects electric car market share to reach 18.5% by the end of the year.
The industry is calling for more support for electric vehicles (EVs), including better public charging infrastructure and incentives for buyers.
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said: “Encouraging a mass market shift to EVs remains a challenge, however, and urgent action must be taken to help buyers overcome affordability issues and concerns about chargepoint provision.”
Kim Royds, mobility director at Centrica, said: “Despite August being typically a quieter month for registrations ahead of new plates in September, it’s encouraging to see EVs buck the trend with adoption levels remaining high.
“To ensure this continues as we head into the Autumn, it’s more pressing than ever that benefits such as unique tariff offerings are introduced to encourage people to make the switch.
“A big part of making the UK’s roads electric is tackling the inequality that exists between at home and public EV charging.
“So many homeowners don’t have access to a driveway and so can’t have easy-to-use private charging to make their electric dream a reality.”
