Sales of ULEV’s surge past 10,000 mark

Sales of ULEV’s surge past 10,000 mark

2015-06-05 17:40:13

Figures released today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show a steady 2.4% growth in the UK new car market, accompanied by a strong surge in demand for ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs).

11,842 ULEVs were registered between January and May – a four-fold rise on the 2,838 registrations in the same period last year. The growth is further evidence of UK car buyers’ increasing awareness of the significant benefits of driving a ULEV, as they look to reduce their running costs and environmental impact. Motorists can now choose from a diverse range of around 20 ULEVs, compared to just six in 2011.

The rise in overall new car registrations, meanwhile, marks the 39th consecutive month of growth in the market. More than one million cars have been registered in 2015 as a range of new products and attractive finance deals with low interest rates continue to draw buyers to showrooms. With many purchases on a three-year replacement cycle, new cars bought as the recession ended are now being replaced.

Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, told EcoCars4Sale: "The remarkable growth in demand for plug-in vehicles is expected to continue as the range of ultra-low emission vehicles on sale increases. Meanwhile, we anticipate a natural levelling out of the overall new car market throughout the remainder of 2015.”

Alternatively-fuelled vehicle (AFV) registrations                                           Ultra-low emission vehicle registrations 

                        – January-May                                                                                                  – January-May                                 

*An ultra-low emission vehicle (ULEV) is a vehicle which produces 75g or less of CO2 per kilometre from the tailpipe. Currently all ULEVs are plug-in vehicles. 

May                   Total                 Diesel                Petrol                 AFV               Private                Fleet              Business 


2015                198,706              97,084                96,597                5,025              91,841              100,599                6,266

2014                194,032              99,580                91,008                3,444              90,708               96,240                 7,084

change              +2.4%               -2.5%                +6.1%               +45.9%            +1.2%               +4.5%               -11.5%

Mkt share 2015                          48.9%                 48.6%                2.5%              46.2%                50.6%                 3.2%

Mkt share 2014                          53.1%                 46.9%                1.8%              46.7%                49.6%                 3.7%


YTD

May                   Total                 Diesel                Petrol                   AFV               Private               Fleet               Business


2015              1,119,072             541,345            546,898                30,823              528,732             549,022             41,318

2014              1,058,974             525,462            514,335                19,177              522,098             491,232             45,644

change             +5.7%                 +3.0%              +6.3%                +60.7%              +1.3%              +11.8%             -6.5%

Mkt share 2015                           48.4%               48.9%                  2.8%               47.2%                49.1 %              3.7%

Mkt share 2014                           49.6%               48.6%                  1.8%               49.3%                46.4%               4.3%


Best Sellers

May                                                                                                          YTD

1, Ford Fiesta 9,349                                                                                1, Ford Fiesta 59,447

2, Ford Focus 7,355                                                                                2, Vauxhall Corsa 40,447

3, Vauxhall Corsa 6,513                                                                          3, Ford Focus 35,989

4, VW Golf 5,897                                                                                      4, VW Golf 30,686

5, Vauxhall Astra 4,916                                                                           5, Nissan Qashqai 27,361

6, Mini 4,095                                                                                            6, Vauxhall Astra 23,538

7, VW Polo 4,028                                                                                     7, VW Polo 23,523

8, Audi A3 3,999                                                                                      8, Audi A3 22,338

9, Nissan Qashqai 3,978                                                                         9, Mercedes-Benz C Class 20,726

10, Nissan Juke 3,897                                                                            10, Fiat 500 18,449



New car registrations – rolling-year totals, May 2007 to present 

This article was prepared by our car news team First4Auto

Reported By

Andrew Merritt-Morling

Chief Editor

Associate Member of the Guild of Motoring Writers