Vehicle licensing statistics Q1 2012
| Publisher: | Department for Transport |
| Published date: | 14 June 2012 |
| Type: | Release |
| Series: | Vehicle licensing |
| Statistics topic: | Buses and coaches, Cars, Drivers, Goods vehicles, Make and model |
Summary
This publication presents information on motor vehicles in Great Britain that were licensed on the 31st March 2012 (the end of quarter 1), or were registered for the first time during quarter 1 (January to March 2012). The statistics are derived from data held by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), which administers vehicle registration and licensing records in Great Britain.
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Key points
- There were 34.3 million vehicles licensed for use on the roads in Great Britain on the 31st March 2012. Of these vehicles, 28.6 million were cars. The all vehicle figure represents a 0.3 per cent increase on the quarter 1 2011 figure.
- The prevailing economic situation has a noticeable influence on trends in the number of licensed vehicles, especially commercial vehicles. The numbers of licensed Heavy Goods Vehicles and Buses & Coaches have been on a generally downward trend since the economic downturn began in 2008/09, and the rate of increase in other types of vehicles has slowed.
- A total of 667.5 thousand vehicles were registered for the first time in Great Britain during quarter 1 2012. This represents a 0.1 per cent increase in the number of first registrations from quarter 1 2011. Although there has now been three consecutive quarters on year-on-year increases, in general, first registration numbers have been on a downward trend since 2002.
- During quarter 1 2011 a total of 546 new ultra-low emission vehicles were registered for the first time. This was a small decrease from 621 in quarter 1 2011, but it is more than double the 231 registered in quarter 1 2010. Although the overall total fell between years, the number of ultra-low emission cars registered for the first time rose from 337 in quarter 1 2011 to 371 in quarter 1 2012. The number of Plug-in Car Grant eligible cars that were registered for the first time in quarter 1 2012 was 358, up from 265 in quarter 1 2011.
- Average CO2 emissions from new cars fell from 136.5 g/km in quarter 4 2011 to 134.7 g/km in quarter 1 2012.
- The most popular car registered for the first time during quarter 1 2012 was the Ford Fiesta, with almost 33 thousand new registrations. The Ford Focus was the second most popular with 24 thousand registrations, followed by the Vauxhall Corsa (23 thousand), Volkswagen Golf (19 thousand) and Vauxhall Astra (14 thousand).
Source: VEH0101
Source: VEH0101
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Technical information
Information on Vehicle licensing statistics, including the pre-release access list, can be found here:
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Contact us
- vehicles.stats@dft.gsi.gov.uk
- Phone: 020 7944 3077
