Written by Matilde Alves | Edited by Cláudio Afonso
EV maker Polestar sold 746 electric vehicles in the UK last month, data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed on Wednesday. The figures represent a rise of 216.1% in January sales, compared to 236 vehicles delivered a year ago.
Polestar’s monthly sales record in the UK was reached in September 2024, with 2,429 vehicles sold, up 114% year over year.
Overall, BEV sales in the UK reached a 21.3% market share in January, with 29,634 vehicle deliveries in a universe of 139,345. In January 2024, electric vehicle sales represented less than 15% of the market.
“This momentum doesn’t stop at new cars”, Matt Galvin, Polestar UK chief wrote on LinkedIn, adding that the Geely-backed brand has seen “over 300% growth” on “preowned registrations”.
According to the SMMT, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) made up 19.6% of all new passenger car registrations in the UK in 2024, with a total of 1,952,778 cars registered.
The same report shows that the UK is now Europe’s largest BEV car market, transcending Germany’s sales for the first time, after the removal of EV incentives in the country at the end of 2023.
In January, both Polestar and BYD registered significant growth in UK sales year over year, while Tesla and MG registered a slight decrease. Tesla has sold 1,458 vehicles (-8%), holding 1.05% market share, while Polestar held 0.54%.
Polestar’s global retail sales in 2024 totaled 44,851 vehicles, decreasing 15% from 2023.
Polestar has gone through major leadership changes in the last quarter of 2024.
Having joined Polestar in 2021, Jonas Engström has been promoted to its new chief operating officer (COO) in December 2024, replacing Dennis Nobelius, who left the company in September 2023.
As of Michael Lohscheller’s appointment as Polestar’s chief executive officer (CEO), in October 2024, Chairman Winfried Vahland said the brand is “well-positioned for continued innovation and growth.”
In Germany, the company saw a 49.4% drop in sales last year, with total registrations falling to 3,181 units from 6,288 in 2023, according to industry data.
