Vehicle licensing statistics: 2007
This publication includes National Statistics on the stock of licensed vehicles in Great Britain in 2007. The key results are as follows:
- Overall, the number of licensed vehicles increased by 1.8 per cent from 2006 to 2007. There were increases in all body types except buses and coaches where the number remained steady. The largest increases were within the light goods (4.2 per cent) and motorcycles (3.2 per cent) categories.
- Over the last 10 years, there have been increases in the number of licensed vehicles across all body types. Licensed stock increased by 23.3 per cent overall and, as with most recent year, the largest rises were amongst motorcycles, which rose by half, and light goods vehicles.
- The number of vehicles registered for the first time also increased between 2006 and 2007, reversing the reduction seen in the previous four years. However, there were still fewer newly registered vehicles in 2007 than in 2005.
- 58 per cent of cars newly registered in 2007 were registered to a company, up from 49 per cent in 2003. However, the percentage of all licensed cars registered to a company is much lower with 89 per cent of the licensed stock currently in private ownership. For light goods vehicles, 89 per cent of new registrations are to companies.
- 40 per cent of cars registered for the first time in 2007 were of diesel propulsion, up from 28 per cent in 2003, while diesels now account for a quarter of all licensed cars, up from a little over a tenth in 1998. Nearly all light goods vehicles registered in 2007 were diesel powered. The number of licensed hybrid electric cars now stands at 32 thousand, up from 1 thousand in 2003.
- The average engine capacity of all licensed cars in 2007 was 1,751 cc, an increase of 6 per cent over the average 10 years ago. The engine size of new car registrations is also increasing, up from 1,750 cc in 2003 to 1,789 cc in 2007. For motorcycles, the average engine capacity amongst the licensed stock increased by 17 per cent between 1998 and 2007.
- The average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions level of all licensed cars in 2007 was 171.1 g/km, down by 4 per cent from 177.8 g/km in 2001. Similarly, the average emissions level from cars registered for the first time dropped from 172.6 g/km in 2003 to 164.7 g/km in 2007, a decrease of 5 per cent.
- In 2007, licensed cars had been registered, on average, for 6.7 years. This represents an increase since 2003 where the average car was registered for 6.5 years but a decrease since 1998, where the average stood at 6.9 years. A similar pattern exists for motorcycles, while for light goods vehicles, the average number of years since registration has decreased over the last 10 years.
Notes
1. Statistics on licensed vehicle stock and vehicles registered for the first time are produced from DVLA licensing records, taken from the DVLA database 31 December each year.
2. Vehicle registration is a process to record details of vehicle keepers. The registered keeper of a vehicle is responsible for taxing the vehicle or telling DVLA that it is being kept off-road by making a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN).
3. To be driven legally on the road, vehicles must have a current licence. Depending on the taxation group, licensing the vehicle may involve the payment of Vehicle Excise Duty.
Publication details
Published on 8 May 2008 by Transport Statistics.
Available by telephone order on +44 (0)20 7944 3077
Email: vehicles.stats@dft.gov.uk for queries concerning vehicle licensing statistics.
For information about release of this product see National Statistics Online.
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