Average emissions from company cars on UK roads plummeted by 11.5% in 2023 thanks to rapid take-up of electric vehicles.

Company car emissions have plummeted by 11.5%, thanks to compelling fiscal incentives encouraging fleets to invest in EVs

The new data, published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), also shows that emissions across all UK cars fell 2.1% last year due to the incentivised investment by business fleets into EVs.

The SMMT said plug-in vehicles are driving the biggest growth in car ownership since 2016. Its Motorparc data reveals total cars on the road rose by 1.6% or 546,800 units to 35,694,845, after almost half a million new battery electric (BEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles were registered during 2023.

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

But more work is needed to help drivers go electric – and the SMMT continues to lobby for private consumers to get similar incentives to switch, which would help dramatically decarbonise UK road transport.

Across all vehicles, EV use continues to grow, with 1,602,334 plug-in cars, vans, trucks and buses in operation. BEV van volumes in 2023 rose by 43.5% to 61,161, meaning some 1.2% of vans on UK roads are now zero emission. Electric HGVs rose 146.4% in 2023, although at just 0.4% of the fleet, urgent action is therefore required on grants and infrastructure – especially given that new trucks under 26 tonnes have the same end of sale date as cars and vans.

The SMMT is also calling for more rapid EV infrastructure investment to drive BEV uptake as the latest analysis shows there is just one standard public charge point for every 35 plug-ins on the road – a figure almost unchanged from last year.

The situation is even more challenging for commercial vehicles, with no clear national plan for van-specific charge points, and just one dedicated public truck charging location for the entire country. The SMMT says investment should be nationwide so that everyone – irrespective of vehicle type, location and accessibility – can access a reliable, convenient and affordable charging network.

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, 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.”

Other key findings from the SMMT’s Motorparc data for 2023:

• Record numbers of commercial vehicles are now in use, with 625,873 heavy goods vehicles and 5,012,632 vans in operation, up by 1.7% and 2.6% respectively.
• The five most popular cars on UK roads in 2023 accounted for over 5.3 million in use – these are the Ford Fiesta at 1,487,925, Vauxhall Corsa at 1,050,579, Ford Focus at 1,049,818, Volkswagen Golf at 1,004,152 and Vauxhall Astra with 715,647 in use.
• Superminis remain the most popular car type on roads, with one in three drivers choosing these more compact vehicles to get around.
• Over a third (35.1%) of cars on the road are registered to women, compared with 51.1% to men – with the remainder either registered to companies or gender unlisted. This follows a rise of more than half a million women as registered keepers on 2018.
• The highest number of cars in the UK reside in London and the South East (8,910,951), followed by the North West (3,959,236) and the South West (3,572,387)
• London and the South East is also the region with the highest volume of plug-in vehicles with over half a million (527,887) of these green vehicles, making up 5.9% of all cars in the area
• With electric vehicles increasing in popularity, manual transmissions have fallen to 63.5% of the parc, down from 66.0% in 2022.