Manchester has been named the UK’s biggest hotspot for electric and hybrid car searches, while London ranks just 30th despite generating the highest overall search volume.
New research from Valetly reveals that Manchester recorded 716.1 monthly searches for electric and hybrid car-related terms per 100,000 residents, more than double London’s rate of 299.6.
Reading and Norwich complete the top three, while Nottingham ranks last among the 50 locations analysed, recording almost eight times fewer searches per person than Manchester.
The findings challenge assumptions that interest in electric vehicles is concentrated in London, highlighting strong search activity in northern cities and smaller regional centres. The research analysed Google Ads Keyword Planner search volume estimates for 11 electric and hybrid car-related terms across 50 UK cities and towns.
Keywords included “electric car”, “hybrid car”, “used electric cars”, “electric car lease”, “home EV charger installation”, “electric car salary sacrifice” and “electric car grant”.
The study also examined searches for plug-in hybrids, self-charging hybrids and specific electric vehicle categories.
Estimated monthly search volumes were combined for each location and divided by its population to calculate a rate per 100,000 residents. Search data was collected in October 2026 and compared against the population estimates used in the study.
The results measure online search activity, not confirmed vehicle purchases, ownership or the number of individual people considering switching to an EV.
London generated approximately 27,190 monthly searches, more than any other location in the study.
However, its much larger population means it ranks only 30th on a per-capita basis, with 299.6 searches per 100,000 residents. That puts London behind smaller locations including Middlesbrough, Peterborough, Dundee and Telford.
The results highlight why total search numbers can give a different impression from population-adjusted rankings.
Nicolas Diez, Founder at Valetly, says Manchester’s position suggests considerable interest among people researching electric and hybrid vehicles.
“Manchester topping the table doesn’t surprise me much. What stands out is 2,600 searches for ‘electric car’ in one city. That’s a lot of people at the very first stage, typing in the broadest possible term. To me that suggests plenty of drivers there are still working out whether the switch makes sense for them.”
He believes the strong showing from Reading and Norwich is particularly interesting.
“Reading and Norwich are the more interesting result. They’re much smaller places, yet per head they’re ahead of Leeds and Birmingham. My guess is that points to commuters doing the sums on running costs, but that’s an inference. The data shows interest, not purchases.”
Nicolas also points to London’s low position in the per-capita ranking.
“London in 30th will raise a few eyebrows. A big share of Londoners don’t own a car, so the population figure probably dilutes the interest.”
(Picture: Yay Images)
