(Bloomberg) -- Carmakers increased production in the UK for the first time in almost a year, as record-high petrol prices help accelerate the shift to electric vehicles.

UK car production rose 13% to 62,284 vehicles in May, the industry’s first month of growth since June of last year, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said Thursday. Battery-electric vehicle output more than doubled.

While the trade group welcomed the uptick, the number of cars produced was still only a little more than half the pre-pandemic level for the month. Any recovery will be gradual because deliveries from suppliers remain erratic, Mike Hawes, SMMT’s chief executive, said in an emailed statement. The group reiterated its call for the government to help soften the blow from an estimated  £90 million ($109 million) increase in energy costs that it says are higher than any other country in Europe with automotive manufacturing.

The UK has seen car production steadily decline over decades, with uncertainty over the future of its trading relationship with the European Union adding to the industry’s woes. Honda Motor Co. went ahead with the long-planned closure of its only car plant in England last year, which contributed to the worst year of output since 1956.

Read more: UK Risks Car Collapse as Jaguar Looks Elsewhere for EV Batteries

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