The Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid has held its lead over the pure battery-electric Nissan Leaf to remain the most common ultra-low carbon car on the UK's roads.

Analysis by the RAC Foundation of the latest DVLA data shows there were 31,002 Outlanders on the road at the end of September 2017, up 1,594 on the previous quarter. This compares with the 18,922 Leafs, up 1,570 on the previous quarter.

Third came the Mercedes-Benz C350 e (8,634), followed by the BMW i3 (8,365) and the BMW 330e (7,402).

Overall, at the end of September 2017, there were 116,525 licensed vehicles on the roads that are or have been eligible for the government’s plug-in car and van grant schemes. This total is 54% higher than the 75,797 vehicles on the roads at the end of September 2016.

Under the government’s plug-in grant schemes, car buyers can get a grant of up to £4,500, depending on the model, and van buyers a grant of up to £8,000.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “These figures show that despite the slump in sales of new diesel cars we are still waiting for the moment when the ultra-green vehicle market really takes off.

“Electric vehicles are becoming more common they are yet to become an everyday sight. While the 50% year-on-year growth is encouraging the low overall total shows why the government commitment to incentives made in the Budget is so important.”

The latest SMMT data shows that in the year to the end of November new car registrations of 2,388,144 was down by 5% or 126,620 vehicles on the same period in 2016.

Diesel registrations have fallen sharply – down 16% year-on-year – and have only partially been offset by rises in registrations of petrol and alternatively fuelled vehicles.

Vehicles that are, or have been, eligible for the government’s plug-in car and van grant schemes and which were on the road in the UK at the end of Q3 2017.

Rank	Make and Model	Q3 2017	Q2 2017	Q1 2017	Q4 2016	Q3 2016
1	Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (all variants)*	31,002	29,408	27,677	25,447	23,751
2	Nissan Leaf	18,922	17,352	16,501	14,718	14,063
3	Mercedes-Benz C350 e	8,634	7,724	6,855	5,890	4,756
4	BMW i3 (of which are Range Extender version)	8,365 (6056)	7,597 (5,464)	6,798 (4,903)	5,858 (4,198)	5,217 (3,700)
5	BMW 330e	7,402	6,039	4,873	3,447	2,552
6	Tesla Model S	6,217	5,575	5,172	4,454	3,907
7	Renault Zoe	5,729	5,432	5,212	4,974	4,744
8	Volkswagen Golf GTE	4,384	3,595	3,341	3,231	3,059
9	Volvo Xc90 T8 Twin Engine	2,979	2,522	2,184	1,610	1,159
10	Nissan e-NV200 (all variants)*	2,598	2,324	2,150	1,886	1,710
11	Audi A3 e-tron	2,348	2,084	1,961	1,806	1,699
12	Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid	2,005	1,889	1,785	1,671	1,667
13	BMW i8	1,719	1,711	1,641	1,549	1,446
14	Tesla Model X	1,686	1,112	666	42
15	Vauxhall Ampera	1,265	1,266	1,282	1,278	1,258
16	BMW 530e	1,174	404	29	-
17	BMW 225xe	1,157	949	771	460	290
18	Volkswagen Passat GTE	1,090	704	447	180	72
19	Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid	938	636	513	515	498
20	Renault Kangoo ZE	904	876	864	838	805
21	Mercedes-Benz E350 e	820	583	271	22	-
22	Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid (all variants)	759	725	701	610	484
23	Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive	489	488	425	375	333
24	Peugeot Ion	426	421	418	418	413
25	Kia Soul EV	377	328	288	245	244
26	Mini Countryman PHEV	371	128	-	-
27	Kia Optima Saloon PHEV	339	312	299	231	207
28	Mitsubishi i-Miev	261	257	257	261	255
29	Smart ForTwo Electric Drive	260	228	210	209	213
29	Audi Q7 e-tron	260	181	79	62	68
31	Hyundai IONIQ EV	239	224	-	-	-
32	Citroen C-Zero	233	230	227	227	220
33	Volkswagen e-Golf	189	147	137	135	129
34	Hyundai IONIQ PHEV	188	-
35	Volkswagen e-up!	176	171	167	164	161
36	Kia Niro PHEV	137	-
37	Mercedes-Benz S500 Hybrid	121	121	121	124	124
38	Chevrolet Volt	120	118	119	119	121
39	Renault Fluence	71	73	75	75	78
40	Citroen Berlingo EV	61	51	45	33	26
41	Toyota Mirai	41	32	30	12	12
42	Smart ForFour Electric Drive	27	11
43	Ford Focus Electric	19	22	21	22	22
44	Mia	14	14	13	13	14
45	Daimler Mercedes-Benz Vito E-Cell	9	9	11	13	20
46	BYD e6	-	-	-	-	-
=	BD Otomotiv eTraffic	-	-	-	-	-
=	BD Otomotiv eDucato	-	-	-	-	-
=	Peugeot ePartner	-	-	-	-	-
=	Smith Electric Smith Edison	-	-	-	-	-
=	Mahindra e20	-	-	-	-	-
=	LDV EV80	-
	Total	116,525	104,073	94,636	83,224	75,797

Note: Some of the vehicles above might have been bought without the grant. Some might be licensed to manufacturers and dealers rather than customers. The total number licensed is below the total number of grants claimed because of the lag between an order being placed and the car being delivered.

*The Mitsubishi Outlanders on the road are predominantly SUVs however a number will be commercial van versions. Most Nissan e-NV200s will be commercial vans though a number will be seven-seaters.