Vehicle licensing statistics: April to June 2022
Published 21 September 2022
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About this release
We are providing our statistics releases in HTML format and we would like to hear your comments. If you have any feedback on our use of this format or on this release, please contact vehicles statistics.
This release presents statistics on motor vehicles in the United Kingdom (UK), which are based on administrative data held by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). These cover:
- new vehicle registrations
- licensed vehicles
- plug-in vehicles
- zero emission vehicles
A range of detailed data tables and large data files are available online.
These statistics cover the whole of the United Kingdom, which is Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and Northern Ireland. However, long term trends (over 7 years) can only be looked at for Great Britain, as the United Kingdom data are only available from July 2014.
Major structural changes were introduced in the annual 2021 publication, which included making our tables accessible for our users.
Following feedback from our users, in this release we have added the breakdown by body type to tables VEH0172 and VEH0182.
Some quarterly tables have not been updated as they are under review (see the 2021 annual release).
If you have any feedback on any of these changes, please contact vehicles statistics.
Headline figures
Latest figures for 2022 Quarter 2 (April to June), show that the number of new registrations was down 19% in the UK, with new plug-in vehicles up 1%.
The shift in fuel type used across the vehicle market has led to record highs for electric vehicles on the road and further declines in average CO2 emissions for new cars.
Comparing 2022 Quarter 2 (April to June) with 2021 Quarter 2 (April to June), there were:
- 532,000 vehicles registered for the first time in the UK, down 19% (VEH0150)
- 79,000 plug-in vehicles (PiVs) registered for the first time in the UK, up 1% (VEH1153a)
More battery electric (BEV) cars (51,000) were registered for the first time in the UK during 2022 Quarter 2 (April to June) than diesel cars (35,000), following a 21% increase in BEV cars compared to 2021 Quarter 2 (April to June). By contrast, over the same period there were falls of 25% and 45% for petrol and diesel cars respectively. (VEH1153a)
Average CO2 emissions for cars registered for the first time in the UK decreased by 6% in 2022 Quarter 2 (April to June) compared to 2021 Quarter 2 (April to June). (VEH0156)
At the end of June 2022, there were 40.7 million licensed vehicles in the UK, an increase of 0.6% compared to the end of June 2021. (VEH0101a)
Key measures and vehicle groupings
Vehicles registered for the first time: Vehicles that were first registered with DVLA during that time period. This is very similar to ‘new sales’ but also includes imported vehicles or those used beforehand. This is sometimes called new registrations.
Licensed vehicles: All vehicles that can legally use the road. This is sometimes called total stock.
Road using vehicles: Vehicles that would reasonably be expected to make significant use of the public highway and to be used as a mode of transport.
Plug-in vehicles (PiVs): Road using vehicles that use a plug-in technology to connect to a source of electricity
Ultra low emission vehicles (ULEVs): Road using vehicles that are reported to emit less than 75 grams of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the tailpipe for every kilometre travelled.
Impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19)
Vehicle licensing data covering March 2020 onwards have been affected by:
- the government’s measures to limit the impact and transmission of COVID-19
- the wider impacts of COVID-19 on the global economy
- worldwide, ongoing issues in the semi-conductor supply chain
New vehicle registrations: overview
There were 532,000 vehicles registered for the first time in the UK during 2022 Quarter 2 (April to June). This was a 19% decrease compared to 2021 Quarter 2 (April to June) but a 116% increase compared to 2020 Quarter 2 (April to June). (VEH0150)
Chart 1 shows the long term trends in new registrations in the second quarter (April to June) for Great Britain (UK data are only available from July 2014 onwards). Between 1980 and 1998, new registrations in the second quarter (April to June) fluctuated between 420,000 and 700,000 vehicles. In 1999, the month(s) that DVLA issued new number plates moved from August to March and September. Consequently, between 1999 and 2019, new registrations in the second quarter (April to June) fluctuated between 550,000 and 810,000 vehicles, the highest peak ever in the second quarter (April to June) occurring in 2003.
Following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, new registrations in the second quarter (April to June) between 2020 and 2022 were lower than the previous period. New registrations in 2022 Quarter 2 (April to June) were the lowest since 1995 (excluding 2020 Quarter 2 (April to June) when significant COVID-19 measures were in place).
Periods of low new registrations typically correspond to economic recessions. Usually, after each low, the number steadily increases until the next recession. However, recent trends have also been affected by issues in the semi-conductor supply chain.
Although the number of new registrations can vary considerably each year, the total licensed stock varies much more slowly since there are many more vehicles that remain licensed over the year.
The majority of new registrations are cars. The full breakdown of body type is presented in Table 1.
Chart 1: Vehicles registered for the first time in the second quarter (April to June), Great Britain, 1980 to 2022 (VEH0150)
Table 1: Vehicles registered for the first time in the second quarter (April to June) by body type, United Kingdom, 2021 and 2022 (VEH0150)
| Body type | 2022 Quarter 2 (April to June): New registrations (thousands) | 2021 Quarter 2 (April to June): New registrations (thousands) | New registrations (year on year percentage change) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars | 393 | 489 | -19.7% |
| Light goods vehicles (LGVs) | 73 | 97 | -24.8% |
| Heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) | 11 | 11 | +1.9% |
| Motorcycles | 38 | 41 | -7.6% |
| Buses and coaches | 1 | 1 | +1.1% |
| Other vehicles | 15 | 13 | +17.8% |
| Total | 532 | 652 | -18.5% |
Monthly seasonality
When DVLA issues a new registration plate series, there is usually a peak in new vehicle registrations (Table 2). For example, the recent issue of the ‘72’ plate is for vehicles registered from the beginning of September 2022 to end of February 2023.
Up to 1998, new registration plates were issued once a year in August. Since 1999, new plates have been issued twice a year, in March and September.
Table 2: Vehicles registered for the first time by month, United Kingdom, July 2021 to June 2022 (VEH0150)
| Date | New registrations (thousands) |
|---|---|
| July 2021 | 172 |
| August 2021 | 107 |
| September 2021 | 274 |
| October 2021 | 156 |
| November 2021 | 170 |
| December 2021 | 155 |
| January 2022 | 150 |
| February 2022 | 91 |
| March 2022 | 320 |
| April 2022 | 166 |
| May 2022 | 172 |
| June 2022 | 194 |
New car registrations by fuel type
The fuel types presented in these statistics are explained in the notes and definitions, and Figure 1 shows how the main fuel types used in the UK are related.
Figure 1: Diagram showing key properties of the main fuel types
In 2022 Quarter 2 (April to June), new car registrations in the UK (VEH1153a), comprised of:
- 206,000 petrol cars (53%)
- 35,000 diesel cars (9%)
- 72,000 petrol HEV cars (18%)
- 6,000 diesel HEV cars (2%)
- 21,000 petrol PHEV cars (5%)
- 600 diesel PHEV cars (0.2%)
- 51,000 battery electric (BEV) cars (13%)
- 1,000 using other fuel types (0.2%)
Chart 2: Cars registered for the first time by fuel type, including annual and five year change, United Kingdom, 2022 Quarter 2 (April to June) (VEH1153a)
Compared to 2021 Quarter 2 (April to June), the number of new car registrations with the fuel type:
- petrol decreased by 25%
- diesel decreased by 45%
- HEV increased by 3%
- PHEV decreased by 32%
- BEV increased by 21%
Looking at the trends over 5 years, compared to 2017 Quarter 2 (April to June), the number of new car registrations with the fuel type:
- petrol decreased by 32%
- diesel decreased by 86%
- HEV increased by 422% (around 5 times higher)
- PHEV increased by 214% (around 3 times higher)
- BEV increased by 1,525% (around 16 times higher)
New electric vehicle registrations
Plug-in vehicles
In 2022 Quarter 2 (April to June), 79,000 plug-in vehicles (PiVs) were registered for the first time in the UK, an increase of 1% on 2021 Quarter 2 (April to June) and 298% on 2020 Quarter 2 (April to June) (around 4 times higher). (VEH1153a)
PiVs accounted for 15% of all UK new road using vehicle registrations in 2022 Quarter 2 (April to June), up from 12% in 2021 Quarter 2 (April to June).
Chart 3 shows the number of new PiV registrations in the second quarter (April to June) since 2015.
Between 2015 and 2018, the majority of new PiV registrations in the second quarter (April to June) were PHEVs, accounting for between 58% and 71% of all new PiV registrations. Since 2020, BEVs have accounted for the majority of new PiV registrations.
Chart 3: Plug-in vehicles (PiVs) registered for the first time in the second quarter (April to June) by fuel type, United Kingdom, 2015 to 2022 (VEH0181a)
In 2022 Quarter 2 (April to June), BEVs accounted for 72% of new PiV registrations, with PHEVs accounting for 27% and range extended electric vehicles (REEVs) accounting for less than 1%.
Table 3: Plug-in vehicles (PiVs) registered for the first time by body type, with previous year and total new registrations comparison, United Kingdom, 2022 Quarter 2 (April to June) (VEH1153a)
| Body type | 2022 Quarter 2 (April to June): New registrations | 2021 Quarter 2 (April to June): New registrations | Year on year percentage change | 2022 Quarter 2 (April to June): Proportion of all new road using vehicle registrations that are PiVs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cars | 72,374 | 73,668 | -2% | 18.4% |
| Light goods vehicles | 4,125 | 2,843 | +45% | 5.7% |
| Heavy goods vehicles | 183 | 34 | +438% | 1.7% |
| Motorcycles | 1,669 | 1,550 | +8% | 4.4% |
| Buses and coaches | 111 | 42 | +164% | 8.4% |
| Other vehicles | 444 | 236 | +88% | 33.1% |
| Total | 78,906 | 78,373 | +1% | 15.3% |
Common plug-in generic models
Generic model is a grouping of models to help compare models on the road. Manufacturers vary in their approach on how many model versions they give a particular range of vehicles. For example, there are 3 model versions for Tesla Model 3, but there are over 800 model versions for Ford Fiesta.
In 2022 Quarter 2 (April to June), the most common generic model of plug-in vehicle registered for the first time in the UK was Tesla Model Y with 4,200 vehicles, followed by Kia Niro with 3,400 vehicles, and Hyundai Ioniq with 2,700 vehicles. For each of the previous 11 quarters, Tesla Model 3 was the most common generic model for new plug-in vehicle registrations. However, in the latest quarter, 2022 Quarter 2 (April to June), it was in fourteenth place. (VEH0181b)
Chart 4 shows the top 25 generic models registered for the first time in 2022 Quarter 2 (April to June) for the UK. These popular models accounted for 55% of all new plug-in vehicle registrations, with the majority being BEV models.
Chart 4: Top 25 generic models for plug-in vehicles (PiVs) registered for the first time by fuel type, United Kingdom, 2022 Quarter 2 (April to June) (VEH0181b)
In 2022 Quarter 2 (April to June), nearly every top 25 generic model was a car, with the only exception being Vauxhall Vivaro, which is a light goods vehicle. For other body types, the most common generic model of plug-in:
- heavy goods vehicle was Maxus Deliver with 131 vehicles
- bus and coach was Wrightbus Streetdeck with 46 vehicles
- other vehicle (taxis) was LEVC TX with 369 vehicles
Related statistics on Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure
The department publishes statistics on electric vehicle charging infrastructure, including publicly available devices and grants provided by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV).
Low emission vehicles
Comparing plug-in vehicle and ultra low emission vehicle statistics
There is considerable overlap between ULEVs and PiVs, since many ULEVs are based on plug-in technology. This means that although both measures are very similar at present, care should be taken when choosing which statistic is appropriate to use.
Figure 2 shows the overlap between common terms used in this release to describe “electric vehicles”, along with some common models found in those categories. Note that the size of the area does not accurately reflect how many vehicles lie within that region.
Figure 2: Venn diagram to show the overlap of the terms plug-in vehicle (PiV), ultra low emission vehicle (ULEV), and zero emission vehicle (ZEV) in relation to electric vehicles
In 2022 Quarter 2 (April to June), 78,000 ULEVs were registered for the first time in the UK, an increase of 1% on 2021 Quarter 2 (April to June). ULEVs accounted for 15% of all UK new vehicle registrations in 2022 Quarter 2 (April to June), up from 12% in 2021 Quarter 2 (April to June). (VEH0171a and VEH0150)
Zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) are a sub-set of ultra low emission vehicles, currently only including:
- battery electric vehicles (BEVs)
- fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs, sometimes referred to as hydrogen powered)
In 2022 Quarter 2 (April to June), 57,000 ZEVs were registered for the first time in the UK, which were all BEVs with no registrations of FCEVs.
Carbon (CO2) emissions for new vehicle registrations
The history of measuring carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions for cars and vans in the UK is complex and care should be taken when interpreting these alongside the notes and definitions.
Measures of CO2 emissions
WLTP (Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure): The current laboratory test used for cars and vans, designed to be more representative of real-world driving emissions than the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) that was used prior to 2018.
e-NEDC (estimated NEDC or NEDC correlated): Calculated using the results from a WLTP test via the CO2MPAS tool developed by the European Commission.
Average emissions for new cars
In the UK, the average CO2 emissions for cars registered for the first time in 2022 Quarter 2 (April to June) was 117.4 grams per kilometre (g/km) using the WLTP measure, down 6% compared with 2021 Quarter 2 (April to June). (VEH0156)
Recent decreases have been affected by a notable shift towards registering new zero emission (ZEV) cars from late 2020 onwards. The lowest quarterly value of 105.6 g/km was observed in 2021 Quarter 4 (October to December), which coincided with the highest quarterly value (19.3%) of new car registrations being zero emission. (VEH1153)
Chart 5: Average CO2 emissions for cars registered for the first time by emissions data source, quarterly, United Kingdom, 2019 Quarter 2 (April to June) to 2022 Quarter 2 (April to June), grams per kilometre (g/km) (VEH0156)
Chart 5 shows the recent trends in average CO2 emissions for cars registered for the first time in the UK. Since 2019 Quarter 2 (April to June), the average emissions steadily fell (year on year) using both the e-NEDC and WLTP measure. Between 2019 Quarter 2 (April to June) and 2022 Quarter 2 (April to June), average CO2 emissions for new cars fell by 24%, from 155.2 g/km to 117.4 g/km.
Average emissions for new light goods vehicles
In the UK, the average CO2 emissions for light goods vehicles registered for the first time in 2022 Quarter 2 (April to June) was 196.0g/km using the WLTP measure, down 2% compared with 2021 Quarter 2 (April to June) (VEH0156).
Licensed vehicles: overview
At the end of June 2022, there were 40.7 million licensed vehicles in the UK, which was a 0.6% increase compared to the end of June 2021, and a 2.8% increase compared to the end of June 2020. (VEH0101a)
Cars make up the majority of licensed vehicles. Table 4 shows the number of licensed vehicles by body type in the United Kingdom at the end of June 2022.
Table 4: Licensed vehicles by body type, including 12 month change in licensed vehicles and vehicles with a SORN, United Kingdom, the end of June 2022 (VEH0101)
| Body type | Number of licensed vehicles (thousands) | 12 month change in licensed vehicles (thousands) | 12 month change in vehicles with a SORN (thousands) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars | 33,102 | +54 | +46 |
| Light goods vehicles | 4,613 | +108 | +38 |
| Heavy goods vehicles | 539 | +13 | +13 |
| Motorcycles | 1,450 | +35 | +48 |
| Buses and coaches | 146 | +2 | -1 |
| Other vehicles | 834 | +15 | +13 |
| Total | 40,684 | +226 | +157 |
At the end of June 2022, there were year on year increases for all body types, with the number of motorcycles increasing the most (+2.5%) and cars seeing the smallest percentage increase (+0.2%). (Table 5)
Table 5: Annual and 2 year percentage change in licensed vehicles by body type, United Kingdom, the end of June 2022 (VEH0101)
| Body type | Annual change in licensed vehicles | 2 year change in licensed vehicles |
|---|---|---|
| Cars | +0.2% | +1.5% |
| Light goods vehicles | +2.4% | +9.3% |
| Heavy goods vehicles | +2.4% | +10.0% |
| Motorcycles | +2.5% | +9.0% |
| Buses and coaches | +1.2% | +14.3% |
| Other vehicles | +1.8% | +6.9% |
| Total | +0.6% | +2.8% |
Licensed electric vehicles
Since the majority of electric vehicles have been registered in the last decade, a low of proportion of these vehicles are no longer roadworthy and consequently there is a close relationship in the statistics between:
- total new EV registrations since 2010
- licensed stock of electric vehicles
However, moving forward, the number of licensed electric vehicles will start to grow notably more slowly than the number of new registrations. For example, at the end of 2021 there were more than 10,000 plug-in vehicles with a SORN.
We advise against adding up new electric vehicle registrations as a proxy for electric vehicles on the road.
Plug-in vehicles
At the end of June 2022, there were 922,000 licensed plug-in vehicles (PiVs) in the UK. This was an increase of 62% compared to the end of June 2021, when there were 570,000. (VEH0141a)
Chart 6: Proportion of licensed plug-in vehicles by body type and fuel type, United Kingdom, the end of June 2022 (VEH0141a)
As shown in Chart 6, out of the total figure of 922,000:
- 492,000 were BEV cars (53%)
- 361,000 were PHEV cars (39%)
- 36,000 were BEV light goods vehicles (4%)
- 11,000 were BEV motorcycles (1%)
- 10,000 were REEV cars (1%)
- 6,000 were REEV other vehicles (1%)
- 5,000 were other remaining categories (1%)
Ultra low emission
At the end of June 2022, there were 911,000 licensed ultra low emission vehicles (ULEVs) in the UK. This was an increase of 62% compared to the end of June 2021, when there were 563,000. (VEH0133a)
The majority of ULEVs licensed at the end of June 2022 were either BEVs (60%) or PHEVs (38%). A small proportion were range extended electric vehicles (2%), currently only available in a small selection of models.
Car makes and models
Common car makes
In 2022 Quarter 2 (April to June), the top 3 makes for new registrations in the UK (Chart 7) were:
- Ford (8.0%)
- Volkswagen (7.7%)
- Audi (6.8%)
For total licensed stock at the end of June 2022 (Chart 8), the top 3 makes in the UK were different to new registrations, namely:
- Ford (12.2%)
- Vauxhall (9.0%)
- Volkswagen (8.8%)
Chart 7: Top 10 makes for cars registered for the first time, United Kingdom, 2022 Quarter 2 (April to June) (df_VEH0160)
Chart 8: Top 10 makes for licensed cars, United Kingdom, the end of June 2022 (df_VEH0120)
Common car generic models
Vauxhall Corsa was the most common generic model for new car registrations in 2022 Quarter 2 (April to June), with 12,400 registrations, followed by Ford Puma with 9,800 registrations and Nissan Qashqai with 9,000 registrations (Chart 9). (df_VEH0160)
At the end of June 2022, the most common licensed car was Ford Fiesta with 1.47 million licensed, followed by Ford Focus with 1.08 million, and Vauxhall Corsa with 1.02 million (Chart 9).
Chart 9: Top 10 generic models for cars registered for the first time during 2022 Quarter 2 (April to June) and for those licensed at the end of June 2022, United Kingdom (df_VEH0120 and df_VEH0160)
Background notes
About these figures
Almost all the statistics in the vehicle licensing statistics series are derived by Department for Transport statisticians from extracts of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) vehicle database. The main purpose of the database is to administer vehicle registration and licensing records in the United Kingdom.
For further information about the data used in this release, please see our guidance page which contains:
- detailed notes and definitions
- a note on users and uses of these statistics
There is also a Statement of Administrative Sources for the DVLA vehicles database.
In this release, numbers may not add up to totals and percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.
Geographic coverage
In July 2014, vehicle and registration services for Northern Ireland were centralised at DVLA, where these services for Great Britain were already administered. This created a single vehicle register for the United Kingdom, in place of separate registers for Great Britain and Northern Ireland. From this time, statistics can be provided for both Great Britain and the United Kingdom.
This statistical release will focus on the United Kingdom for recent trends in vehicles but use data for Great Britain to review long term trends.
Strength and weaknesses of the data
The databases used for these statistics can be regarded as being virtually complete in terms of the number of vehicles registered for the first time, licensed vehicles, and vehicles with a SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification). However, there may be some errors in some of the specific details of individual vehicles.
The Department for Transport has previously estimated that under 2% of the vehicle records have an inaccuracy in one of the variables used for the statistics published. Other factors to consider in interpreting these statistics include:
- changes in legislation
- seasonal variation which affects some vehicle types
- foreign registered vehicles may also use UK roads without being registered with DVLA
- Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) evasion
Most of these factors will only have a marginal effect for most uses of the data.
National Statistics
These statistics were designated as National Statistics in April 2012.
National Statistics are produced to the high professional standards set out in the Code of Practice for Statistics. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer needs. They are produced free from any political interference.
Details of ministers and officials who receive pre-release access to these statistics up to 24 hours before release can be found in the pre-release access list.
Next release
Vehicle licensing statistics are published quarterly. The next release is due in December 2022, which will cover the third quarter of 2022, up to the end of September 2022.
The quarterly releases (typically published in July, September, and December) have a reduced number of tables and commentary compared to the annual publication (typically published in May).
Any updates to these plans will be advertised via the DfT statistical publications schedule.
To hear more about DfT statistics publications as they are released, please follow us on Twitter.
Related sources of information
There are more recent data than published here available from various industry bodies on the majority of vehicle sales.
For car and van data, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) publish monthly shortly after the month-end, in advance of the publication of DfT’s detailed official statistics. This can be useful to look at the most recent trends in vehicle registrations. Although there are slight differences in coverage of the SMMT data, the volumes and trends published by SMMT are generally consistent with DfT published data.
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