Vehicle Licensing Statistics: Quarter 1 (Jan-Mar) 2017

January to March 2017 saw the highest number of new vehicle registrations ever recorded in the first quarter of a year. The figure of 959,000 was 4.6% higher than the previous peak in 2015.

The DfT says this increase was in part affected by an increase in new registrations ahead of the changes to excise duty introduced in April 2017.

The figures mean that at the end of March 2017, 37.5m vehicles were licensed for used on roads in Great Britain.

With regard to ultra low emission vehicles (ULEVs), in the year to March 2017, 43,819 new ULEVs were registered for the first time in the UK, a year-on-year increase of 34%. The figure is also 91% higher than the figure for the year ending March 2015.

In terms of ULEVs as a percentage of all new registrations, the figure stands at 1.3% for the year ending March 2017, compared to 1.0% in the previous year, and 0.8% in the year ending March 2015.

The DfT says most of the increase in ULEV registrations has been accounted for by vehicles eligible for plug-in car and van grants. New registrations in the year to March 2017 included 37,917 cars and 1,093 vans that were eligible for these grants, 24% up on the year to March 2016.

The DfT also says that the growth in ULEVs is being influenced by new models coming into the market, and increasingly competitive pricing.