THE total number of vehicles in use on the UK’s roads fell last year for the very first time in 64 years.
Growth in the UK parc has slowed in recent years and is now at 31,035,791 cars; a 0.7 per cent fall from 2008.
This is the first time there hasn’t been a year-on-year rise in the vehicle parc since the Second World War, and according to SMMT analysis, the first time there has been a peacetime decline since vehicle records began in 1904.
‘The recession is the most obvious factor impacting on the number of cars on the road,’ commented SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt.
‘The scrappage scheme has also removed a large number of older and more polluting vehicles. Alongside these economic factors, tough enforcement has helped remove unlicenced vehicles from UK roads.
‘Significant advances in technology, higher fuel costs and innovative design are affecting the types of models within the parc, raising the appeal of more fuel-efficient vehicles and making them more accessible to buyers.’
Analysis of the vehicles currently in use reveals a reduction in average CO2 emissions by 1.7 per cent across the 2009 parc over 2008. In the last three years the number of vehicles which emit less than 120g/km of CO2 has increased by more than 90 per cent; accounting for 936,117 of the vehicles on the road.
Silver cars are the most popular for the second consecutive year, followed by blue and black, with red the fourth most popular.
The Motorparc database is produced annually by the SMMT, providing a detailed reporting service, specifying the make and model of every vehicle currently in use on UK roads.
by JOHN SLAVIN
