Three stories landed within days of each other. Fleets now account for the majority of new car demand. Electric vans hit a record but remain well short of target. Diesel passed £2 a litre for the first time. Taken together, they say something important about fleet EV charging. They also show where the real pressure points sit
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reports that 350,518 new cars were registered in September. That is up 12.1% on last year. It was the strongest September since 2017.
Fleet and business buyers did most of the heavy lifting. They registered more than 200,000 cars in the month, a 57.4% share. Across the first nine months of 2026, fleet and business registrations passed one million. The total stands at 1,043,306. That is 60% of the UK new car market. Registrations by smaller businesses are up 22.8% year to date.
This matters for a simple reason. When fleets decide, the national picture moves. Company car policies, salary sacrifice schemes and vehicle replacement cycles now shape the UK’s transition more than any other group of buyers.
September was a record month for battery electric cars. Registrations rose 36.3% to 99,199. That gave them a 28.3% share of the market. Electrified vehicles of all types took a record 58.4%. PHEVs grew particularly strongly, reaching a record 17% share.
Choice is no longer the barrier it was. There are now 178 battery electric models on sale in the UK - more than double the number in 2023.
The year to date share is 26.2%, from 454,945 battery electric cars. That is below the 33% ZEV mandate target for 2026. The SMMT estimates around 265,000 more would be needed in the final quarter to reach it.
It is worth being honest about what that gap means. The mandate includes flexibilities, so the headline share is not the whole compliance picture. The government is also reviewing the mandate. EVC Solutions does not try to predict policy. The direction of travel is clear enough without it.
Electric vans also set a record in September. Registrations rose 13.4% to 4,832. Operators can now choose from more than 40 fully electric models.
The share tells a different story. Electric vans took 9.6% of the market in September and 10.8% year to date. The ZEV mandate target for 2026 is 24%. Demand is running at less than half that level.
SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes named three reasons. Electric vans cost more to buy. Grid connections are slow. Charging that suits vans is in short supply.
Two of those three are infrastructure problems. That is the honest heart of this story. Van operators are not short of vehicles to choose from. They are short of power at the depot, and they are short of reliable places to charge at the end of a shift.
The industry is saying the same thing from several directions. The SMMT describes continued support through the van grant and the depot charging scheme as essential. It also sees the new publicly owned GB Grid as a possible way to speed up depot and public charge point rollout. Sue Robinson of the National Franchised Dealers Association calls depot charging infrastructure vital.
According to the RAC, the average price of diesel has reached a record 200.01p a litre. Filling a 55 litre tank now costs £110.01. That is £31.70 more than at the end of February. The rise is linked to supply disruption caused by conflict in the Middle East. Forecasts suggest prices could climb further.
For a van fleet, this is not a headline. It is a cost that moves every week, and it lands directly on margins.
Electricity is not cheap in the UK either. The SMMT itself points to high energy costs. So the case for electric vans is not simply that electricity is cheaper, it's about control. A depot with smart charging and load management lets a fleet decide when and how it buys energy. Diesel at the pump offers no such choice.
The company car fleet is already well into its transition, and the van fleet will follow, with the pace being set by infrastructure, not vehicle choice.
Waiting for the outcome of the mandate review is understandable. It also carries risk. Site surveys take time, grid applications take time. Installation is best done in phases. Vans typically stay on a fleet for several years, so the vehicles chosen now will still be working long after the review is settled.
The operators who plan their depots now will be ready when replacement cycles come round. Those who wait may find the vehicles available but the power not.
Start with a site assessment. Understand what power is available today, and plan for the fleet you expect to run in five years, not just the one you run now. Use load management to get the most from your existing connection before paying to upgrade it. Check which grants and funding schemes apply to your sites. Phase your installation so spending follows your vehicle replacement plan.
None of this commits a business to going fully electric tomorrow. It simply makes sure infrastructure is not the reason it cannot.
EVC Solutions works with fleet and business owners across the UK to plan, install and manage EV charging. Every project starts with the site. That means load, scalability and the limits of your grid connection, before any hardware is chosen. EVC Solutions also advises on funding and manages charge points through the EVC Connect platform.
To talk through your depot or fleet charging plans, call Adrian Cooper on 03300 904030.
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Sources
SMMT, UK new car registrations, September 2026 (published 2 October 2026). Summary: https://www.renewableenergymagazine.com/electric_hybrid_vehicles/almost-five-evs-appear-per-minute-on-20261002
Fleet News, fleet and business registrations, September 2026. https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/fleet-registrations-pass-one-million-as-september-market-grows-121
Fleet News, SMMT light commercial vehicle registrations, September 2026. https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/record-electric-van-uptake-fails-to-get-anywhere-near-government-target
RAC, diesel price hits record high: https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/fuel-news/diesel-price-hits-record-high/
Energy Live News, diesel hits all time high: https://www.energylivenews.com/2026/09/29/diesel-hits-all-time-high-as-prices-double-in-a-decade/
