Motorcycles and cars registered in Great Britain 2000-2022

About 1.34 million motorcycles and almost 32.17 million cars were registered in Great Britain at the end of 2022, a slightly higher volume than in 2021 despite the economic uncertainty faced by the country due to the automotive supply chain shortages and cost of living crisis. Between 2021 and 2022, around 291,300 additional passenger cars were added to Great Britain's car park.

Car ownership remains high in UK households

There were just over 28.2 million households in the United Kingdom, according to recent 2022 estimates. Car ownership in UK households was estimated at around 85 percent in mid-2023. However, the cost of living crisis deeply impacted UK consumers' car purchasing intentions, with 73 percent of respondents to an April 2022 survey reporting the general cost of living increases had shifted their perception of the buying process.

 Increased uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles

  Following the introduction of electric vehicles and discussions surrounding higher emission standards, the number of licensed ultra-low emission vehicles has been rising significantly. In the past decade it has grown from around 9,000 units in 2010 to nearly 432,000 in 2020. This increase particularly started to pick up following the diesel scandal.