The number of vehicles on British roads reached its highest ever level in 2024, rising by 1.4% to 41,964,268, according to new Motorparc data published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

The number of cars in use also set a new record, increasing by 1.3% to 36,165,401. Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) rose by 38.9% to 1,334,246 units, surpassing the one million mark and now accounting for 3.7% of cars on the road.

Across all vehicle types, plug-in vehicles (BEV and plug-in hybrid) grew by 34.6% to reach 2,157,360 units, making up 5.1% of the total parc.

Petrol-powered cars increased by 1.0% to 21.0 million, maintaining a 58.2% share, while diesel cars declined by 4.4% to 11.6 million, now representing 32.1% of the parc.

Van volumes rose 1.8% to 5,102,180, while heavy goods vehicles fell marginally by 0.1% to 625,509 units. The bus and coach fleet also declined slightly by 0.1% to 71,718 units.

Average car CO₂ emissions decreased by 1.6%, driven in part by a 5.6% fall in company car emissions. Private car emissions dropped by 1.0%. The average age of a car on UK roads rose to 9.5 years, up from 9.3 years in 2023. More than 43.4% of cars in use are now over 10 years 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.”