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Interest in new electric vehicles may be declining, data from the UK’s largest car sales website suggests.

The volume of new electric car searches, ad views and messages to retailers on the Auto Trader platform was down nearly two thirds (65%) from the beginning of last year to March this year.

Auto Trader has attributed this to the high cost of electric cars, higher borrowing rates and more expensive electricity, all amid a cost of living crisis.

The company called on the government to introduce tax incentives to improve affordability.

In January 2022, electric vehicles (EVs) made up 16.3% of new car ad views on the website but by March 2023 it had fallen to 10.54%, Auto Trader said.

While 27% of all new car enquiries related to EVs in the first month of last year, the number dropped to 9% for last month.

Disinterest may be growing as the company said new EVs are 37% more expensive than petrol and diesel cars and there are now fewer new electric models between £20,000 and £30,000 than there were in 2022.

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The number of petrol and diesel models costing less than £30,000 is nine times bigger than the number of EVs, Auto Trader said, and a new electric SUV costs an average of £22,290 more than a petrol one.

Analysis by the company suggests that the savings drivers can make in running an electric car, as opposed to a diesel or petrol car, have reduced as the cost of oil has come down from the highs after the invasion of Ukraine.

While EV owners with a home charger can save up to £130 for every 1,000 miles by charging at off-peak overnight rates, savings reduce to just £40 for those drivers using public chargers, the analysis says.

Auto Trader noted there was still strong interest in second-hand EVs and in fleet sales, where a company would buy cars for employee use or for renting.

EV sales have broadly increased in recent years as the government’s 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars approaches.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reported 76,233 new battery electric car sales in the first quarter of this year, up 18.8% on last year’s levels.

To increase the interest in and buying of EVs, Auto Trader called on the government to reduce VAT on used EVs and said lenders should offer lower or interest-free rates on EV financing deals.

Adopting common standards on battery health and charging terminology should also be a top priority for government and industry as Auto Trader said battery health is one of the top concerns purchasers have when buying an EV.

“These are difficult times for the UK’s road to 2030 ambitions and we are in danger of veering off-track,” Auto Trader’s commercial director said.

“If the government is serious about achieving its ambitions, it needs to do more. For example, it cannot be right that those who don’t have the option of charging at home are forced to pay substantially more to charge their vehicles,” Ian Plummer added.

“While the extra £380m announced in March to improve charging infrastructure will help, the goal of mass adoption is at risk unless we use the tax system inventively to spur on EV purchases and accelerate demand.”

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McIlroy wins Masters to complete career Grand Slam – follow latest reaction

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Rory McIlroy claims career Grand Slam with US Masters win

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Rory McIlroy claims career Grand Slam with US Masters win

Rory McIlroy has completed a career Grand Slam in golf with his win at the US Masters tournament.

The Masters was the last major tournament left for McIlroy to complete the modern golf Grand Slam – a feat only five others have managed before him.

McIlroy, who was making his 11th attempt at completing the Grand Slam, faced off Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff to decide the Masters champion, after they finished tied on 11 under at the end of regulation on Sunday.

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, reacts after winning in a playoff against Justin Rose after the final round at the Masters golf tournament, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
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McIlroy reacts as he wins. Pic: AP

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, reacts after winning in a playoff against Justin Rose after the final round at the Masters golf tournament, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
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McIlroy reacts after winning against Justin Rose at the Masters. Pic: AP

“It’s my 17th time here and I started to wonder if it would ever be my time,” McIlroy said just before slipping on the Green Jacket during the presentation ceremony.

“I’m just absolutely honoured and thrilled and just so proud to be able to call myself a Masters champion.”

McIlroy had missed his six-foot putt for par, a bogey which dropped him back to 11 under, where he joined Rose – leading to a dramatic play-off between the two.

Only five other golfers have been able to complete a career Grand Slam, including Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen.

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Pic: AP
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Pic: AP

McIlroy is a two-time winner of the PGA Championship, claiming the prize in 2012 and 2014.

The 35-year-old also won his first major title, the US Open, in 2011, and won The Open Championship in 2014.

How did McIlroy get to the victory?

McIlroy recovered from losing his overnight two-shot advantage with an opening-hole double bogey to initially take control at Augusta National, only to blow a four-shot lead over his closing six holes.

The world No 2 bogeyed the last to close a one-over 73 and slip back to 11 under alongside Rose, who overturned a seven-stroke deficit and posted a stunning final-round 66 to force a play-off.

The players returned to the 18th for the play-off, where McIlroy made amends for his 72nd-hole blunder by firing a stunning approach to within three feet of the pin and making the birdie putt required for a life-changing win.

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Race to keep British Steel furnaces running with last-minute efforts to secure raw materials under way

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Race to keep British Steel furnaces running with last-minute efforts to secure raw materials under way

Last-minute efforts to keep British Steel operating are to be carried out today, as the plant races to secure a supply of raw materials.

The Department for Business and Trade said officials are working to secure supplies of materials, including coking coal, to keep British Steel operational, as well as to ensure all staff will be paid.

It added that setting up new supply chains was “crucial” as a fall in blast furnace temperature could risk “irreparable damage to the site, with the steel setting and scarring the machinery”.

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British Steel: What happens next?

Companies including Tata – which ran the now-closed Port Talbot steelworks – and Rainham Steel have offered managerial support and materials to keep the Lincolnshire site running.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said in a statement that “when I said steelmaking has a future in the UK, I meant it”.

“Steel is vital for our national security and our ambitious plans for the housing, infrastructure and manufacturing sectors in the UK,” he added.

“We will set out a long-term plan to co-invest with the private sector to ensure steel in the UK has a bright and sustainable future.”

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British Steel Ltd steelworks in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire
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Unions said Jingye decided to cancel orders of key materials for the steelworks

Earlier this month, unions said the steelwork’s owner, Chinese company Jingye, decided to cancel future orders for the iron ore, coal and other raw materials needed to keep the furnaces running.

It meant the Scunthorpe plant had been on course to close down by May, bit it sparked urgent calls for government intervention.

Emergency legislation was passed on Saturday bringing the steelworks into effective government control, and officials were on site as soon as the new legislation came into force.

However, the business secretary has warned that does not mean the plant is guaranteed to survive.

Appearing on Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, Mr Reynolds also said he would not bring a Chinese company into the “sensitive” steel sector again.

“I don’t know… the Boris Johnson government when they did this, what exactly the situation was,” he added. “But I think it’s a sensitive area.”

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‘I wouldn’t bring a Chinese company into our steel sector’

Jingye stepped in with a deal to buy British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant out of insolvency in 2020, when Mr Johnson was prime minister.

The minister added that while The Steel Industry (Special Measures) Bill stops short of the full nationalisation of British Steel, “to be frank, as I said to parliament yesterday, it is perhaps at this stage the likely option”.

The Conservatives accused the government of acting “too late” and implementing a “botched nationalisation” after ignoring warnings about the risk to the steelworks.

Read more:
A sticking plaster, not a solution: What next for British Steel?
How Trump, China and Reform all played their part

Shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith said: “The Labour Government have landed themselves in a steel crisis entirely of their own making.

“They’ve made poor decisions and let the unions dictate their actions.”

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