The number of vehicles in the UK grew 0.4% to 40,506,971 in 2021, according to new Motorparc data released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The figures also show that nearly three quarters of a million vehicles on the road today can be plugged in, including 720,053 cars, 26,990 vans, 993 buses and 313 trucks.

While the SMMT figures show that one in five new cars sold comes with a plug, they also indicate that electric car uptake varies dramatically across the UK. A third (33.1%) of all plug-in cars are registered in London and the South East, representing 3.0% and 2.6% of all cars in each area. By contrast, 1.5% of cars in the West Midlands are plug-in electric, 1.9% in Yorkshire and Humberside, and 0.9% in the North East. Differences in uptake could also be seen across the four British nations, with plug-ins making up 2.2% of cars in England, 1.6% in Scotland, and 0.8% in Wales and Northern Ireland.

Did you know?

• The total parc (number of cars on the road) has increased by 4.7 million vehicles (+13.3%) since 2012.
• 8,420,961 cars have been in service since 2008 or earlier – 24.1% of the car parc.
• Britain’s favourite car types are supermini and lower medium car segments, which account for nearly six in 10 cars in service
• Manual transmission accounted for 68.1% of the car parc
• 66.6% of all cars on UK roads were made in the EU, while British-built cars account for 15.3%.
• Drivers in London are more likely to own a British car than other UK regions, with 16.8% of cars built in the UK, followed by the East (16.0%) and South East (15.6%).

A third (33.1%) of all plug-in cars are registered in London and the South East, representing 3.0% and 2.6% of all cars in each area