Finding
UK EV manufacturing rests on three sites: Nissan Sunderland with AESC cells, JLR with Tata's Agratas gigafactory in Somerset, and BMW's Mini Oxford, whose EV investment is paused
Nissan began building the third-generation Leaf at Sunderland in 2025 with cells from AESC's Sunderland plants. Agratas is building a gigafactory at Bridgwater, Somerset, to supply JLR from 2027. BMW paused its EV investment at Oxford in 2025, and the electric Mini Cooper comes from China, built by BMW's Spotlight joint venture with Great Wall.
The mandate guarantees demand but not local supply: Chinese brands, led by BYD, gained share fastest because the UK applies no EV-specific tariff. Premium makers have slowed: Aston Martin and Bentley delayed their first BEVs, and Lotus builds the Eletre and Emeya in Wuhan, keeping only the Evija at Hethel. Arrival, Britishvolt and Tevva failed between 2023 and 2024.
Bus and component makers are steadier. Wrightbus and Alexander Dennis build electric buses - Alexander Dennis partly on BYD chassis - and YASA, owned by Mercedes-Benz, makes axial-flux motors in Oxford.
Directory
Major UK manufacturers (A-Z)
| Manufacturer | Location | Sector | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AESC | Sunderland | Cells | Operating | Envision-owned; original plant plus a new gigafactory supplying Nissan |
| Agratas | Bridgwater, Somerset | Cells | Building | Tata Group cell company; production planned for 2027 |
| Alexander Dennis | Falkirk, Scarborough | Buses | Operating | Enviro EV range; Enviro200EV on BYD chassis; owned by NFI Group |
| Aston Martin | Gaydon | Sports EVs | Delayed | First BEV pushed back |
| Bentley | Crewe | Luxury EVs | Building | Volkswagen Group brand; first BEV, an urban SUV, due 2026 |
| Ilika | Chandler's Ford | Solid-state cells | Pilot | Goliath solid-state cell development |
| Jaguar Land Rover | Halewood, Solihull, Wolverhampton | EVs, packs | Building | Halewood converted for EMA EVs; Range Rover Electric at Solihull; drive units at Wolverhampton |
| Lotus | Hethel | Sports EVs | Operating | Geely-controlled; Evija at Hethel, Eletre and Emeya built in Wuhan |
| Mini (BMW Group) | Oxford | EVs | Paused | BMW paused its Oxford EV investment in 2025 |
| Nissan | Sunderland | EVs | Operating | Third-generation Leaf since 2025 |
| Wrightbus | Ballymena | Buses | Operating | StreetDeck and GB Kite Electroliner |
| YASA | Oxford | Axial-flux motors | Operating | Mercedes-Benz subsidiary; motors for AMG EVs |
Policy
UK industrial policy framework
| Program | Effect |
|---|---|
| ZEV mandate | Zero-emission share of new car sales rising to 80% in 2030 and 100% in 2035; hybrids allowed to 2035 |
| Electric Car Grant | Up to £3,750 off qualifying EVs from 2025, tied to manufacturing carbon standards |
| DRIVE35 | Capital and R&D support for automotive and battery investment |
| Faraday Institution | National battery research program |
| Advanced Propulsion Centre | Co-funded propulsion and battery R&D |
| UK Battery Industrialisation Centre | Public scale-up facility in Coventry for cell and module processes |
| TCA rules of origin | Tariff-free trade with the EU if content thresholds are met; stricter battery rules deferred to the end of 2026 |
Sources
Sources and scope
- Scope
- United Kingdom
- Sources
- UK Department for Transport; Department for Business and Trade; SMMT; company disclosures (2025-2026)
- Updated
- October 2026