The number of vehicles in the UK grew 0.4% to 40,506,971 in 2021,
according to new Motorparc data released today by the Society of
Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), with more plug-in
electric cars, vans, trucks and buses put on Britain’s roads amid
highly challenging pandemic and economic conditions.
Despite the increase in the parc, major shortages of key
components and supply chain disruptions across the globe caused
new car registrations to remain broadly static at 1.65 million,
with car ownership falling -0.2% to 35,023,652 vehicles – the
second year in a row the car parc has fallen and the first time
the UK has experienced consecutive falls in more than a
century.1
While this is, in part, thanks to more advanced technology and
the greater reliability of new vehicles, the main driver has been
pandemic-related market issues. Global shortages of key
components – most notably semiconductors – have constrained the
new car market and the lockdowns of the past two years closed
dealerships meaning consumers were less able to buy new cars,
instead holding on to their vehicles. This contributed to the
average car age reaching a record high of 8.7 years, more than a
year older than that a decade ago.2 This means
around 8.4 million cars – just under a quarter of those on the
road – today are more than 13 years old, having been in service
since 2008.
However, a bumper year for light commercial vehicles, which saw
the number on the road rise by 4.3% to 4,804,833, contributed to
an overall increase in the parc. The heavy goods vehicle sector,
meanwhile, saw a 2.5% uplift, with 604,035 trucks in Britain
making local, national and international deliveries amid
increased demand from key sectors.3 A decade of
year-on-year decreases in the bus and coach parc ended with 1.1%
growth last year to 74,451 units. However, the bus and coach parc
remained at the second lowest level since records began in 1994,
as lockdowns and pandemic-related changes in passenger behaviour
saw reduced services and less demand from operators.
Electric vehicle ownership continues to grow rapidly, as billions
of pounds of automotive industry investment in zero-emission
cars, vans, trucks, buses and coaches delivers an ever-growing
choice of models.4 Nearly three quarters of a
million vehicles on the road today can be plugged in, including
720,053 cars, 26,990 vans, 993 buses and 313
trucks.5
While electric car uptake is growing rapidly, accounting for
around one in five new registrations, plug-ins still only
represent around one in 50 cars on the road, demonstrating the
scale of the challenge ahead in convincing every driver to make
the switch. Meanwhile, there are some 20.5 million petrol cars
and 13 million diesels making up 58.6% and 37.1% of the car parc
respectively, a combined total of 95.7%.
In the commercial vehicle sector, some 0.6% of vans are now
plug-in electric, indicating that the van sector is around two
years behind that of cars despite both vehicle classes having the
same end of sale date for new petrol and diesel
registrations.6 Zero-emission public transport is
picking up pace, with 1.3% of buses and coaches now battery
electric, while electric trucks account for less than 0.1% of the
HGV parc, as the development of unique zero-emission technology
for these vehicles continues.
Electric car uptake also varies dramatically across the UK. A
third (33.1%) of all plug-in cars are registered in London and
the South East, representing 3.0% and 2.6% of all cars in each
area. By contrast, 1.5% of cars in the West Midlands are plug-in
electric, 1.9% in Yorkshire and Humberside, and 0.9% in the North
East. Differences in uptake could also be seen across the four
British nations, with plug-ins making up 2.2% of cars in England,
1.6% in Scotland, and 0.8% in Wales and Northern Ireland.
However, the majority of plug-in cars are registered to
businesses rather than people, while some 58.8% of all electric
cars on the road company registered, reflecting the fact that
businesses receive broader, more generous incentives to make the
switch than those offered to private consumers.
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said:
“Britain’s switch to electric vehicles continues to gather pace,
with a record one in five new car registrations now plug-ins.
However, they still represent around one in 50 cars on the road,
so there is significant ground to cover if we are to fully
decarbonise road transport at pace.
“The first consecutive annual fall in vehicle numbers in more
than a century shows how significantly the pandemic has impacted
the industry, leading Britons to hold onto their cars for longer.
With fleet renewal essential to net zero, we must build consumer
confidence in the economy and, for drivers, confidence in the
charging infrastructure to get the transition into top gear.”
Did you know?
- The total parc has increased by 4.7 million vehicles (+13.3%)
since 2012.
- 8,420,961 cars have been in service since 2008 or earlier –
24.1% of the car parc.
- Britain’s favourite car types are supermini and lower medium
car segments, which account for nearly six in 10 cars in service,
at 11,574,902 and 9,209,201 units respectively.
- Manual transmission accounted for 68.1% of the car parc.
- 66.6% of all cars on UK roads were made in the EU, while
British-built cars account for 15.3%.
- Drivers in London are more likely to own a British car than
other UK regions, with 16.8% of cars built in the UK, followed by
the East (16.0%) and South East (15.6%).
Notes to Editors
1 The previous recorded consecutive decline was
between 1915-18, however, no parc records for the Second World
War period are available.
2 The average car in 2012 was 7.6 years old.
3 2021 van registrations: 62,723 units
(+21.4% year-on-year); HGV registrations: 37,163 (+12.9%).
4 ‘UK Automotive invests £10.8 billion in first
“electric decade”’: https://www.smmt.co.uk/2022/03/uk-automotive-invests-10-8-billion-in-first-electric-decade/
5 Plug-in electric powertrains include battery
electric, plug-in hybrid petrol, plug-in hybrid diesel, and range
extender.
6 ‘Industry calls for chargepoint “van plan” to
switch owners to electric’: https://www.smmt.co.uk/2022/05/industry-calls-for-chargepoint-van-plan-to-switch-owners-to-electric/
Hi-res charts: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/szrli91eq1768io/AAAI8ByFhPZ4GAUrIYmODMt0a?dl=0
