The Department for transport (DfT) has published the latest Vehicle Licensing Statistics for Q2 2021.
The report outlines how recent trends in this statistical series have been ‘heavily affected’ by the measures implemented from March 2020 onwards to limit the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Key findings
- 637,000 vehicles were registered for the first time in Great Britain during 2021 Q2, 12% lower than during 2019 Q2.
- At the end of June 2021, there were 39.2 million licensed vehicles in Great Britain, an increase of 2.2% compared to the end of June 2020.
- During 2021 Q2, 76,000 ultra low emission vehicles (ULEVs) were registered for the first time in Great Britain, an increase of 301% on 2020 Q2. ULEVs made up 11.9% of all new registrations in 2021 Q2. New ULEV registrations increased to 19 thousand in April 2021 (+1,065% or around 12 times higher), to 24 thousand in May 2021 (+590% or around 7 times higher), and to 34 thousand in June 2021 (+142% or more than doubled).
- More hybrid electric (HEV) cars (73,000) were registered for the first time in Great Britain during 2021 Q2 than diesel cars (62,000), following a 203% increase in HEV cars compared to 2019 Q2. Over the same period, by contrast, there were falls of 27% and 60% for petrol and diesel cars respectively.
- In 2021 Q2, new car registrations in Great Britain comprised of 269,000 petrol cars, 73,000 HEV cars, 62,000 diesel cars, 41,000 BEV cars, 32,000PHEV cars, and fewer than 1,000 using other fuel types. Compared to 2020 Q2, new registrations of HEV cars increased by 416%, PHEV cars increased by 446%, and BEV cars increased by 229%.
- Average CO2 emissions for cars registered for the first time in the UK decreased by 8% in 2021 Q2 compared to the same quarter in the previous year. In the UK, the average CO2 emissions for cars registered for the first time in 2021 Q2 was 124.5 g/km under WLTP, down 8.2% compared with 2020 Q2. There was a notable shift towards registering new Zero Emission Vehicles.
- The most popular new car generic models registered in Great Britain in 2021 Q2 were Vauxhall Corsa (12,000), Volkswagen Golf (12,000), and Ford Puma (10,000).
View the full report here
