Kia e-Niro becomes best selling electric car in UK in October

After a record third-quarter sales performance across Europe, South Korean automotive giant Kia Motors has continued its regional success, with sales of the company’s award-winning e-Niro exceeding all other EV vehicles in October in the United Kingdom.

Kita Motors announced in mid-October that it had recorded its best-ever quarterly European sales during the third quarter of 2020, with 132,933 units sold between July and September, a 10% year-over-year growth, across the European Union, European Free Trade Association (EFTA), and the UK.

Hybrids and EVs made up more than 1 in 4 Kia sales across Europe during the third quarter.

Kia Motors (UK) saw the good news continue into October and and now says  that sales of the Kia e-Niro had exceeded that of all other EV vehicles in October in the UK. A total of 833 e-Niros were delivered to UK customers in October, with sales figures accounting for 8.9% of all EV sales within the UK for the month.

“Perfectly demonstrating the benefit of the zero per cent benefit-in-kind taxation on BEVs introduced by the Government in April this year, 520 of these e-Niros were sold via fleet channels with the remaining 313 delivered to retail customers,” said Kia Motors (UK) in their press release.

In fact, it’s been a really good time for the e-Niro which, during the third quarter in the UK, outsold the company’s long-standing best seller Sportage, “showing true appetite for the spacious, stylish and well-equipped range of electrified models offered in the range.”

Across Europe, the Niro family of vehicles contributed 55,588 sales during the third quarter.

Australia is still waiting for the e-Niro to land on its shores, after Kia announced in November 2019 that it was delaying release of the vehicle in Australia due to the government’s failure to introduce legislation to reduce carbon emissions.

At the time, Kia Australia’s COO Damien Meredith explained that the e-Niro may never make it to Australia’s shores, because the company’s policy is that “e-Niro goes to countries that have CO2 regulations and have legislation in place”.

And while some outlets suggest rumours point to a possible 2021 release date, no official word has been given to confirm this, and a lack of any real change in Australia’s policies would seem to speak against the e-Niro arriving here.