The UK has seen a record number of vehicles on its roads, with the total rising by 1.7% to 41,404,589, according to the latest Motorparc data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). This increase is largely driven by the growing popularity of plug-in vehicles.
The number of cars on the road increased by 1.6% to 35,694,845, spurred by the registration of nearly half a million new battery electric (BEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles in 2023. BEVs saw a remarkable rise of 47.3% compared to 2022, now making up 2.7% of all cars in use, up from 1.9% in the previous year.
Interestingly, the data also shows that British motorists are keeping their cars longer, with the average car age now at nine years, the highest on record. This trend is reflected in the lowest implied scrappage rates ever recorded.
Despite the record number of vehicles, average car CO2 emissions dropped by 2.1%, and company car emissions fell by an impressive 11.5%. This reduction is attributed to fiscal incentives that have encouraged fleets to adopt EVs.
Zero-emission commercial vehicles also saw a significant boost. BEV van numbers increased by 43.5% to 61,161, meaning 1.2% of vans on UK roads are now zero-emission. Electric heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) saw a dramatic increase of 146.4% in 2023, though they still represent just 0.4% of the fleet, indicating a need for further action.
The number of electric buses grew by 159.4% to 1,922 units, making the UK the largest market for zero-emission buses and coaches in Europe.
While last year saw the best rollout of public charge points to date, there is still only one standard public charger available for every 35 plug-in cars, a slight improvement from one for every 36 cars the previous year. This highlights the need for faster expansion of charging infrastructure.
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, commented on these developments:
“After two challenging years of constrained supply, more people and businesses across the UK are now getting back behind the wheel – and increasingly, opting for greener options. However, given the ageing fleet, we now need to encourage consumers and businesses who have deferred purchases of new cars, vans, trucks, and buses to upgrade."
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