The UK vehicle parc reached a record 41,964,268 in 2024, according to new figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The number of cars in use rose by 1.3% to 36,165,401, the third consecutive year of growth.

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) saw volumes rise by 38.9% to 1,334,246, now making up 3.7% of all cars in use. Plug-in vehicles (including BEVs and plug-in hybrids) increased by 34.6% to 2,157,360 units, accounting for 5.1% of the total parc. Petrol cars remain dominant at 21.0 million (58.2%), while diesel volumes fell 4.4% to 11.6 million (32.1%).

The average car CO₂ figure declined by 1.6%, driven by a 5.6% reduction in company car emissions. Private car CO₂ dropped by 1.0%. The average age of a car rose to 9.5 years, with 43.4% of the parc now over a decade old.

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “Britain’s vehicle parc is growing, providing essential mobility for the nation while reducing its environmental impact.

“However, there is scope to push environmental improvements much faster as motorists are holding onto their cars for longer, some one and half years longer on average, than only five years ago.

“Drivers need more incentives and greater confidence in infrastructure investment if we are to replace the high volumes of older high-emission cars with zero-emission alternatives. Success will keep the country on the move while driving up economic growth from every business dependent on road transport.”