The electric car market in August: there is a record, but there is also a nuance
After repeatedly mentioning that the segment of electric cars has reached a "statistical plateau", this time we will have to break the tradition, because according to the results of August, Ukrainians bought a total of 9.4 thousand passenger electric cars, which is an absolute historical record, and a very certain one, with a difference of not by several cars or tenths of a percent.
Letʼs compare the results of the last summer month with the previous periods: the growth by July is +35%, and by August of last year 2023 as much as +68.5%! These are really considerable values, which have not been observed in this part of the car market for a long time.
The structure of the segment according to the results of August is as follows: the basis is made up of imported electric vehicles with mileage, their share is 58.3%, or 5499 units. — until within one month, more "electric trains" did not arrive.
The second sub-segment in terms of volume is domestic resale of passenger cars of the BEV group, the share is 28.9%, the number is 2,724 units.
New electric cars occupy only 12.8% of their group, and in quantitative terms it is 1209 pieces, and this is again a record!
How have the indicators for these sub-segments changed? (MM-M — month compared to the previous month, YY — compared to the same month of the previous year):
- Domestic resales: +24% MM, +55% YY
- Used imports: +44% MM, +75% YY
- New imports: +22% MM, +74% YY
Quite a solid set of "weighty" pluses. That is, the segment shows growth despite all the troubles with the availability of electricity. But, now itʼs time to mention the nuances: the biggest jump (month-to-month) occurred precisely for imported electric cars, and this could not be helped by the information field, which lively discussed the possibility of introducing a 15% tax on the first registration of passenger cars. And this tax would also affect electric cars. Therefore, part of the buyers (at least a third, if we rely on the statistics of import of cars in general, as well as sales of new cars) under the pressure of the mentioned circumstances, made purchases earlier. And this means that they will no longer be carried out in September or October. So this statistical jump will most likely turn into a proportional statistical "slump" in the near future.
However, there is another factor specifically for electric vehicles: fuel excise taxes, which are likely (since there are certain conflicts with the launch of the law, which was signed and published late) to come into force. At the same time, according to the preliminary assessment of experts, gasoline and diesel fuel at gas stations may become more expensive by UAH 2/l, gas mixture by UAH 5...6/l. That is, we have another circumstance that pushes motorists to switch to more economical electric cars.
In addition, the third factor that cannot be overlooked is the significant decrease in average market prices for electric cars, which we recently wrote about. Thatʼs why we have to make decisions in these difficult conditions: economical and relatively affordable, at the same time, in the case of a long-term lack of electricity, they can pass into the category of real estate.
- Need more information about the electric car market? — Contact the Institute of Car Market Research!
However, we have no doubt that one way or another a way out will be found, because it is unlikely that anyone will leave 122.5 thousand battery-powered electric vehicles (and that is the number currently in the Ukrainian fleet) without movement. This number includes 119.6 thousand electric cars, 2978 trucks and 7 electric buses.
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