U.K. Vehicle Fleet Larger, Older, Cleaner in 2013

Climbing new-model sales and longer-lasting cars combined to raise the U.K. car parc more than 436,000 units last year to 31,917,885.

Releasing the data, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders says the 1.4% rise in the 2013 parc marked the fastest rate of growth in 10 years.

The SMMT says innovative new engines and the introduction of hybrid and electric cars has seen the U.K. car parc cut carbon-dioxide emissions 7.3% in the past five years to average 160 g/km.

At the same time, the number of older cars rose dramatically as increasing reliability and economic factors combined.

Cars older than 12 years rose 11.3% year-on-year to 2.06 million units. Compared with a decade ago, the average age of a car increased by a full year to 7.7 years old.

SMMT CEO Mike Hawes says with more cars bought and fewer scrapped in recent years, the total number on U.K. roads reached an all-time high in 2013.

“Major investment by manufacturers in advanced production techniques, supported by longer vehicle warranties, has seen car reliability enhanced still further,” he says. “Additionally, spreading the cost of regular maintenance through service packages makes car ownership more affordable, so it is not surprising that people are running cars for longer.”

Almost a fifth of cars on U.K. roads were locally built, with only Germany boasting a higher market share. Spain, France and Japan rounded out the top five, which collectively accounted for more than three-quarters of the total.

There were more than 1,453 different models on U.K. roads in 2013, with the Ford Focus taking the top spot for popularity, boasting almost 1.5 million owners. The smaller Ford Fiesta was a close second, setting the scene for much of the U.K. top 10, which features family cars and supermini offerings from Vauxhall and Volkswagen – reflecting motorist demand for affordable, fuel-efficient, well-equipped vehicles.