One in 40 vehicles now zero emission | Company car emissions plummet

One in 40 of all vehicles on UK roads is now zero emission, including 960,896 cars, 61,161 vans, 2,383 HGVs and 1,922 buses, according to new data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

The number of vehicles on UK roads reached a record high in 2023, rising by 1.7% to 41,404,589 vehicles, according to the Motorparc figures, with plug-in vehicles driving the biggest growth in car ownership since 2016.

Total cars on the road rose by 1.6% or 546,800 units to 35,694,845.

Almost half a million new battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) were registered during 2023.

The number of BEVs in use increased by almost half (47.3%) compared with 2022, and now account for 2.7% of all cars in use, up from just 1.9% in 2022.

Average car CO2 fell by 2.1%, while company car emissions plummeted by 11.5%, thanks to low benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax rates.

The average CO2 emission figure for company cars in 2023 was 103.3g/km, down from 116.7g/km the previous year.

Record numbers of commercial vehicles are also now in use, with 625,873 heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and 5,012,632 vans in operation, up by 1.7% and 2.6% respectively.

BEV van volumes, meanwhile, rose by 43.5% on 2022 to 61,161, meaning 1.2% of vans on UK roads are now zero emission.

Electric HGVs rose 146.4% in 2023, but still account for just 0.4% of the fleet.

The number of electric buses in operation also grew, up by 159.4% to 1,922 units, making the UK Europe’s biggest market for zero emission buses and coaches.

Furthermore, the data shows that people are keeping their vehicles for longer, with implied scrappage rates of older vehicles falling to the lowest on record.

The average car on the road is now nine years old – an increase of more than a year since 2019.

Mike Hawes, chief executive at the SMMT, said: “After two challenging years of constrained supply, more people and businesses across the UK are now getting back behind the wheel – and increasingly, opting for greener options.

“However, given the ageing fleet, we now need to encourage consumers and businesses who have deferred purchases of new cars, vans, trucks and buses to upgrade. 

“A stronger and stable economy, coupled with reduced living costs, would boost consumer and business confidence, while compelling fiscal incentives would ensure that these purchases are emissions free.

“Not only would this accelerate the transition – fundamental to the UK’s net zero ambitions – but it would also stimulate the economy and enhance the wider environment in which we all live.”

The Government in its response to a House of Lords EV report, however, has ruled out the introduction of any fiscal incentives for new electric cars.

It said it was now targeting its incentives where they have the “most impact and deliver the greatest value for money”.