The total number of new cars registered through the UK’s scrappage scheme was 251,629 between May and November, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reported, and their CO2 emissions were 10% lower than the average of all cars bought in the period.
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Cars bought under the scrappage scheme accounted for 21.6% of all new car registrations in November, in line with rates recorded in previous months.
Critics of the scheme claimed that it didn’t do enough to encourage the switch to more economical, less polluting cars. But the SMMT figures show that the average CO2 emissions of a car bought through the scheme was 133.0g/km, 10.1% below the overall new car market average of 148g/km and 27% below a scrapped car’s emissions.
The average CO2 emissions of an old car scrapped through the scheme is estimated to be 182.1g/km (based on weighted segment data for 1997 vintage cars, with the average age of scrapped vehicles being 12.9 years)
SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt said: “Scrappage continues to have a positive impact on vehicle registrations, contributing to the 57.6% increase in November’s registrations. It has helped to generate consumer confidence and SMMT urges government to sustain the recovery and support the long-term future of the motor industry through its pre-Budget report.”
Cars account for 98.5% of total vehicles through the scheme. The scrappage scheme has helped lift overall new car registrations in each of the past five months. Over the May to November period total new car registrations increased by 5.7%. Excluding all scrappage volumes the market was down 15.9%. The scheme accounted for 3.9% of LCV volumes in November.
