Following the release this morning of new official data on
vehicles registered in the UK during 2020, please see below
reaction from the RAC.
RAC data insight spokesman Rod Dennis said: “2020 was a
remarkable year for registrations of new motorcycles and other
two-wheelers such as mopeds and scooters. Despite the pandemic,
the second half of the year saw the highest number of new
registrations of these since 2016 and meant overall 2020 sales
fell by just 5% year-on-year, compared to car sales which fell by
a huge 29%. It seems Covid and the decline in public transport
use have encouraged many more people to think about how they get
around. It could also mean some have switched to motorcycles and
mopeds as an alternative to a second car.
“What’s more, with more than a quarter of a million cars declared
off-the-road (‘SORN’) at the end of last year, it remains to be
seen just how people’s mobility choices are affected by the
pandemic in the longer term and how many of these cars come back
on to the road.
“The data also confirms separate figures from the SMMT that show
that more alternatively-fuelled – including pure electric – cars
were newly registered in 2020 than diesel cars for the first
time. With ever-more electrified models available, it’s looking
increasingly likely that sales of diesel cars may now never
recover to previous levels, which will help improve the air
quality in towns and cities.”
