Over the past few months, electric vehicle purchases have reached a seven-year high, with few signs that it will end up slowing down any time soon.
This is a golden opportunity for electricians to target their training towards a growing number of homeowners who are looking to install wallboxes on their driveways or need old wiring reinstalled to accommodate the higher demands charging stations necessitate.
According to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, 35 per cent of the cars bought in June 2026 were battery electric vehicles, and nearly 60 per cent were plug-in electric cars of some kind.
This helped to boost overall car sales by 11.4 per cent, reaching the highest June statistics since 2019.
Will this slow down? Or is this the tipping point that will lead to further exponential growth?
Will There Be A Slowdown Of The Electric Car Market?
Whilst nothing is certain in the motoring industry, a confluence of global events, steady and increasing growth of EVs across the board and the development of both infrastructure and more advanced technology allowing better cars for less money makes this somewhat unlikely.
Global Oil Shortages
The spike in demand was largely triggered by a conflict in the Strait of Hormuz, a 21-mile passageway off the coast of Iran which supplies a significant amount of crude oil, the primary ingredient used to make petrol and diesel.
This has led to fuel prices reaching over 150p per litre, which is roughly £6.82 per gallon or 20p per mile.
This is nearly three times the average price to charge an EV at home and significantly higher than the average to charge using public chargers.
These shortages cannot be corrected whilst there are military conflicts around the Strait, and even with a ceasefire, the supply chain disruption will reverberate for months, if not years, causing the trend for petrol prices to increase.
This uncertainty has driven motorists towards EVs, which are trending in the opposite direction.
Lower Energy Costs
The major difference between the 2021 energy crisis and the current global oil shock is its effect on electricity.
In 2021, oil and natural gas prices spiked, but because of how the electricity generation sector worked, this also significantly increased the prices for all electricity, including from green sources such as solar, wind and tidal.
In 2026, with significantly more of the National Grid’s supply being provided by renewable sources of electricity, electricity costs have remained far more stable and significantly cheaper
relative to petrol and diesel.
On some dedicated tariffs, off-peak EV charging is as little as 3p per mile.
Solar Panel Synergy
As well as this, easier access to solar power and solar panel installation, another growth area for electricians, is creating a virtuous cycle where demand is further lowered by the ability of many homes to fulfil some or all of their energy needs.
This allows for EVs to be charged for almost negligible costs in particularly energy efficient homes during peak sunlight hours.
Is This The Tipping Point For EVs?
At this stage, with records constantly being broken, EVs are far more likely to surge further in popularity than diminish.
More models are hitting the market that are affordable and practical, with significantly lower running costs.
As well as this, word of mouth about the true experience of driving an EV every day has worked to convince more ambivalent motorists to make the switch.