Sales of electric vehicles (EVs) plunged across Europe last month, fuelled by a sharp drop-off in demand in Germany. 

Official figures show that sales for new EVs fell by 30pc in Germany last month, which led to a broader fall of 12.5pc across the Continent. 

It comes a week after Brussels launched a crackdown on an influx of cheap EV imports from China, which they claim have benefited from unfair state subsidies. 

The European Commission unveiled a raft of new trade tariffs of up to 48pc on EVs, including those made by MG, Volvo and BYD – all of which are China-owned. 

However, the measures are at risk of increasing EV prices for drivers across the bloc and sparking a diplomatic row with Beijing, which has threatened to retaliate with its own tariffs.

The new duties will come into force from July 5 unless the EU strikes a deal with China. 

Against this backdrop, data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association on Thursday revealed that the year-on-year market share of fully electric cars fell from 13.8pc to 12.5pc in May.