Ownership is up 142 per cent in the South West, 132 per cent in Yorkshire and the Humber and 128 per cent in the South East.

However, the real boom has been in the North West, where electric car registrations have reached just shy of 22,000, up from 7,005 in 2020 – a 214 per cent increase.

The data was obtained from a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) by car leasing comparison website LeaseLoco.

Between 2020 and 2021, registrations in the South West jumped from 11,554 to 27,964, from 6,304 to 27,964 in Yorkshire and the Humber, and from 22,453 to 51,205 in the South East.

The West Midlands saw the slowest EV uptake, with registrations up just 45 per cent in the past year from 11,628 to 16,888.

John Wilmot, chief executive of LeaseLoco, said: “These figures show the regions where consumers appear to be more committed to early switching to an EV, and regions where perhaps a jump start is needed.

“EVs still make up a small percentage of the total number of new car sales every month, with consumers expressing reservations around price and charging infrastructure.

“We have seen a threefold increase in electric car enquiries on the LeaseLoco platform, which shows the intent is there to switch to greener motoring, but many car owners while expressing interest are still not ready to make the leap.

“With the sale of new diesel and petrol cars banned from 2030, the next two to three years will be critical in ensuring that the switch to greener motoring stays on track.”