SUV sales up by more than a fifth

SUV sales in the UK have increased by 23% since 2022, according to new analysis from Transport and Environment (T&E).

In 2022, the number of new SUVs registered stood at 910,000, but that number has grown by a third and now stands at 1.12 million units.

In 2021, half (50%) of all new car registrations were SUVs, in 2022 that figure stood at 57% and in 2023 that rose again to 60%.

If the trend continues, T&E argues that SUV registrations could make up 75% of new registrations by 2027.

Furthermore, the vast majority (83%) of these SUVs are petrol and diesel cars, hybrids, or plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).

T&E UK is calling on car companies to prioritise smaller, more affordable electric cars and for the Government to introduce weight-based taxes on the purchase of the heaviest new cars, as well as introducing a strict vehicle width limit to come into force by 2030.

Ralph Palmer, UK electric vehicle and fleets officer at T&E, said: “SUV sales in the UK growing by more than a fifth in just a year is a dangerous trend that could spell disaster for the UK’s carbon budgets.

“The stubbornly high levels of polluting SUV sales is not only negating emissions savings from the move to battery electric vehicles, it’s embedding a culture of large, luxury cars, which is simply unsustainable.

“Carmakers, and the Government, need to prioritise and support the production and sales of smaller, more affordable battery electric vehicles. That will ensure there are more mass-market options available to British drivers so we can further progress on net zero targets.”