Green Machines | EV Drivers could save up to £960 a year on fuel and more drivers have already made the switch – Sustainability news May 2026
The two millionth electric car hits the road, EV drivers make big fuel savings, Vauxhall offers £500 towards on-street charging and more!
Words by: Catherine Kent
Published on 14 May 2026 | 0 min read
- EV drivers could save as much as £960 a year on fuel
- The UK's two millionth electric car was registered in April
- Electric becomes the most popular new car fuel type on Autotrader
- Scottish Leather Group has created a car seat foam which uses a leather production by-product to reduce environmental impact
- Vauxhall offers customers £500 to help customers without a driveway
Electric becomes the most popular new car fuel type on Autotrader
April was a strong month for electric vehicles. Here at Autotrader 29 per cent of all new car enquiries were electric which made it the most popular new car fuel type for the first time. Meanwhile, official figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturer and Traders (SMMT) showed the two millionth electric car was registered and electric cars contributed to 26 per cent of total new car registrations.
As the choice of new electric car models increases, the pool of used EVs grows. So far this year one in 23 buyers have chosen a used electric car – a 32 per cent increase in the number changing hands compare to the first quarter of 2025.
This uplift in electric car ownership comes at a time where according to data from Autotrader and Zapmap, high petrol prices following conflict in the Middle East means EV drivers could save as much as £960 in annual fuel costs.
You can find out more on our electric car fact sheet here.
Plus, heavy discounting has made the average price of new electric cars on Autotrader cheaper than petrol. Check out the detailed price differences here!
Scottish Leather Group makes more sustainable seat foam
Scottish Leather Group has recently opened a new facility in Glasgow to manufacture BioPro using recovered content from its own manufacturing process, reducing the need for harmful chemicals. Once the foam reaches the end of its use in the car, the BioPRO can be recovered and reused. The added benefit of BioPRO is it is light-weight and it can be moulded to exact shapes which helps in reducing waste.
Vauxhall partners with Kerbo Charge to make on-street charging easier
Currently just seven out of the 134 councils which responded to the Freedom of Information request have this facility in their constituency, but 21 are in the trial stages, and 28 have plans to install cross-pavement charging. Vauxhall also discovered there is a lack of consistency across different councils, with some offering gulleys for free and others charging over £1,000. In response to this, Vauxhall has teamed up with Kerbo Charge, a provider of cross-pavement charging gulleys and as part of Vauxhall’s ‘Electric All In’ offer, it will provide customers with £500 off Kerbo Charge installation.
Previous Green Machines news:
•Green Machines – sustainability news April 2026| Autotrader’s new Green Ratings, plant-based car bodywork and the DfT's 'Electric Road Trip'
•Green Machines – sustainability news March 2026| Battery health, EU ruling on recycled content and cuts to public charging VAT rates
•Green Machines – sustainability news February 2026| Government push to go electric, BYD's ‘Super Hybrids’ and more!
•Green Machines – sustainability news January 2026| Speeding the transition to electric and sustainable protection for motorcyclists
•Green Machines – sustainability news December 2025| Mazda stores CO2 from exhaust gasses and BMW aims to cut emissions, but will biofuel save the car industry?
•Sustainability newsletter – November 2025| Are criminals a growing threat to EV charging, which electric cars have we driven this month and what do battery passports look like?
•Sustainability newsletter – October 2025| September’s new car registrations, more renewable energy and Chinese brands for the win
•Sustainability newsletter – September| SUVs in the crosshairs but can BMW’s sustainable new iX3 help counter the stereotype?
•Sustainability newsletter – August 2025| Volvo talks carbon footprints, Vauxhall campaigns for accessible on-road charging and the SMMT calls for energy grid reform
•Sustainability newsletter – July 2025| Kia helps clean up the oceans, BMW’s natural ‘carbon fibre’ and Volvo commits to using recycled steel
•Sustainability newsletter – June 2025| Reusing old electric car batteries, the antithesis of the Tesla Cybertruck and applications open for Edie’s Net-Zero Awards
•Sustainability newsletter – May 2025| Reducing emissions, creating a circular economy and the King’s Award for Enterprise, but are commercial vehicles being left behind?