UK car parc grows to record levels in 2025
The total UK car parc grew by 1.4% last year to 42,549,649 vehicles, according to Motorparc data published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
The data revealed that the number of cars rose by more than half a million to 36,676,185, marking the fourth consecutive year of growth.
Van and truck volumes also grew to record levels, up by 1.4% to 5,175,598 and 0.2% to 626,566 units respectively, while the UK’s bus and coach fleet rose by 0.2% to 71,300 units.
Meanwhile, one in nine vehicles are now electrified, with around one in 22 (10.9%) completely zero emission.
Electric cars
A record 1,797,809 electric cars are now in use, up 34.7% on 2024, driven by unprecedented manufacturer discounting and government incentives, while zero emission trucks recorded the strongest growth as they doubled to 1,056 units, although this was still less than 0.2% of heavy goods vehicles in use.
Zero emission bus volumes also rose sharply, up 65.2% to account for 8.1% of Britain’s bus fleet, while electric vans grew by 34.6% to exceed 100,000 for the first time. The shift to cleaner technologies means that average car CO2 emissions were down by 2.9% on 2024.
Vehicle age
However, at the same time the UK car parc is aging with the average age rising to 9.7 years, up from 9.5 in 2024, and a record 45.7% of all cars now more than a decade old.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “Britain’s vehicle parc is growing with record numbers of newer zero emission vehicles on our roads driving environmental, economic and safety benefits. This is grounds for celebration but the pace has to quicken if ambition is to match demand with the average age of vehicles on our roads actually rising.
“A holistic review of the UK’s ZEV transition is essential, therefore, to ensure that every business and consumer can make the switch so that we can deliver net zero by 2050.”
