Record EV month makes charging cost visibility more important than ever

October 15, 2026

A fleet of vehicles parked up as the sun sets

September delivered a record month for electric cars, but the numbers also underline how quickly fleet charging needs to become more sophisticated.

SMMT figures show 99,201 battery-electric cars were registered during the month, up 36.3% year on year and representing a record 28.3% market share. Fleets remained the largest part of the overall new-car market, accounting for 54.5% of registrations. Electrified cars collectively – BEVs, PHEVs and hybrids – represented 58.4%.

For fleets, growing EV adoption makes the economics of charging increasingly important.

Russell Olive, UK Director at vaylens, points to the growing challenge of combining home, workplace, depot and public charging, all carrying different costs. Drivers without access to home charging can also face a very different cost profile from colleagues running the same company car.

That makes visibility essential.

Fleet managers need to understand what each vehicle is costing to charge, where that energy is being taken and whether existing workplace infrastructure is being fully used.

There may even be scope to open underused workplace or depot chargers to neighbouring fleets at agreed times.

With 178 BEV models now available in the UK, more than double the number in 2023, fleets should also consider reviewing choice lists more frequently as pricing and vehicle availability change.