New SMMT Motorparc data shows the proportion of cars on UK roads with automatic transmission has now risen to 25%, there are over 1,500 different model ranges – up 25% since 2007 – and female car ownership is now at a record 11.8m in 2017.

Although manual gearboxes still dominate, the number of automatic models has risen 70.5% since 2007, with some 8.4m now on the road. 40% of all new cars registered in 2017 featured an automatic gearbox, double the proportion in 2007, with consumers attracted to the comfort and driving simplicity inherent in the technology, according to the SMMT.

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The analysis shows the number of cars registered to women has surged by more than a fifth (21%) since 2007, with women now owning more than a third (11.8m) of the UK’s cars. This compares with a 10% increase in the number of men purchasing in the same period. 17.8m cars were registered to men in 2017 and there are now 34.7 million cars on UK roads, up 12% across the past 10 years.

The data also shows the diversity of British car ownership, with some 1,500 model ranges and 65,000 different model specifications in the parc, compared with 1,200 and 56,000 10 years ago. More than a fifth (22.5%) of cars on UK roads were less than three years old in 2017, helping, the SMMT said, improve air quality and CO2 emissions with the latest low emission technology.

Smaller models continue to make up the bulk of the UK’s car parc – mini, supermini and lower medium together taking 62.3% market share in 2017, up from 60% in 2007. Across all car segments, however, the most dramatic shift has been in the rise of dual-purpose cars. Their number has increased more than 90% during the past decade with some 3.5m on the road in 2017, representing 10.2% market share, up from 6.1% in 2007. Conversely, upper medium models have seen the largest fall in popularity, declining 27.0% – equivalent to roughly 1.5m cars. 

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The data also shows consumers’ changing car colour preferences, with the trend to monochrome seeing brighter colours fall out of favour. In 2017, silver/aluminium was the most commonly seen car colour on the road, followed by black and blue. Data from 2007 reveals that blue was then the top choice, followed by silver/aluminium and, in third place, red – a colour that has now fallen out of the top five completely, along with green, which was previously the fifth most popular shade.

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SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes said: “Consumers are enjoying greater freedom and mobility than ever before, which along with greater reliability and improved fuel efficiency, make owning a car a more attractive and affordable option for millions of people. With every new model launched, more motorists are benefiting from more advanced technology. From innovative safety systems such as autonomous emergency braking and adaptive speed control, to state of the art infotainment and comfort features, including heads-up navigation, heated seats and air-con, in-car WiFi and greater connectivity. This latest Motorparc analysis shows the shifts in consumer preferences and behaviour over the past decade and provides insight for car makers and dealers to help them adapt to changing consumer behaviour in the future.”

The SMMT Motorparc database enables the analysis of records for almost 40m cars and commercial vehicles currently on the road, broken down by make, model, region, town and postcode. With over 23 years of historical data, it is claimed to be one of the richest automotive data sources available.

  • In 2017 the UK’s most popular cars were the Ford Fiesta (1.5m), followed by the Ford Focus (1.4m) and Vauxhall Corsa (1.2m). This compares with a top three in 2007 of the Ford Fiesta (1.3m), followed by the Vauxhall Astra (1.2m) and Vauxhall Corsa (1.1m).
  • Despite the ravages of salted roads, some old cars keep on going. The data shows many of the top selling cars from the eighties are still going strong today, including 2,089 Ford Sierras, 506 Vauxhall Cavaliers and 228 Austin Maestros.
  • Birmingham has the most pure electric and plug-in cars in the country – 8.7% of the national total.
  • Worcester has more British-built cars on the roads than anywhere else, while Bridgend has the fewest.
  • Milton Keynes is home to the greatest number of specialist sports cars, including brands such as Aston Martin and McLaren.
  • Looking at unusual colours, Leicester has the highest amount of pink cars in the country.