Passenger cars, by type of motor energy and size of engine in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Passenger cars, by type of motor energy and size of engine was 32.91 million Number in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
32.91 million Number
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
4th
of 51 countries
All-time high
32.91 million Number
in 2024
All-time low
11.67 million Number
in 1970
Years of data
42
1970–2024
Passenger cars, by type of motor energy and size of engine in United Kingdom, 1970–2024
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Number.
Analysis
In 2024, passenger cars, by type of motor energy and size of engine in United Kingdom stood at 32.91 million Number. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and up 8.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, passenger cars, by type of motor energy and size of engine in United Kingdom peaked at 32.91 million Number in 2024 and was at its lowest, 11.67 million Number, in 1970.
United Kingdom ranks 4th of 51 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Passenger cars, by type of motor energy and size of engine in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Number | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 11.67 million Number | — |
| 1975 | 13.95 million Number | +19.5% |
| 1979 | 15.19 million Number | +8.9% |
| 1980 | 15.62 million Number | +2.8% |
| 1981 | 15.82 million Number | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 16.28 million Number | +2.9% |
| 1983 | 16.61 million Number | +2.0% |
| 1984 | 17.21 million Number | +3.6% |
| 1985 | 17.74 million Number | +3.0% |
| 1986 | 18.36 million Number | +3.5% |
| 1987 | 18.86 million Number | +2.7% |
| 1988 | 19.94 million Number | +5.7% |
| 1989 | 20.93 million Number | +4.9% |
| 1990 | 20.72 million Number | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 20.76 million Number | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 20.97 million Number | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 21.29 million Number | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 21.74 million Number | +2.1% |
| 1995 | 21.95 million Number | +1.0% |
| 1996 | 22.82 million Number | +4.0% |
| 1997 | 23.45 million Number | +2.8% |
| 1998 | 23.92 million Number | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 24.63 million Number | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 25.07 million Number | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 25.78 million Number | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 26.46 million Number | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 26.95 million Number | +1.9% |
| 2004 | 27.77 million Number | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 28.29 million Number | +1.9% |
| 2008 | 28.39 million Number | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 28.25 million Number | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 28.42 million Number | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 28.47 million Number | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 28.72 million Number | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 30.25 million Number | +5.3% |
| 2016 | 30.85 million Number | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 31.20 million Number | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 31.52 million Number | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 31.88 million Number | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 32.17 million Number | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 32.55 million Number | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 32.91 million Number | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 13.60 million Number | 11.67 million Number | 15.19 million Number | 3 |
| 1980s | 17.74 million Number | 15.62 million Number | 20.93 million Number | 10 |
| 1990s | 22.23 million Number | 20.72 million Number | 24.63 million Number | 10 |
| 2000s | 27.12 million Number | 25.07 million Number | 28.39 million Number | 8 |
| 2010s | 29.92 million Number | 28.42 million Number | 31.52 million Number | 7 |
| 2020s | 32.38 million Number | 31.88 million Number | 32.91 million Number | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 1 Germany 49.49 million Number compare
- 2 Italy 41.80 million Number compare
- 3 France 39.96 million Number compare
- 4 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 32.91 million Number compare
- 6 Spain 27.28 million Number compare
- 7 Poland 23.23 million Number compare
- 7 Poland 23.23 million Number compare
More energy & mining data for United Kingdom
- Energy use — Total final energy consumption 109,689 Tonnes of oil equivalent (2023)
- Energy use — Direct on-farm energy consumption 1,175 Tonnes of oil equivalent (2023)
- Supply, transformation and consumption of electricity 24,556 Gigawatt-hour (2019)
- Gross production of electricity and derived heat from non-combustible 7,691 Gigawatt-hour (2019)
- New passenger cars by type of motor energy and engine size 1.95 million Number (2024)
- Imports of solid fossil fuels by partner country 7,404 Thousand tonnes (2019)
- Exports of solid fossil fuels by partner country 751 Thousand tonnes (2019)
- Imports of natural gas by partner country 47,380 Million cubic metres (2019)
- Exports of natural gas by partner country 8,033 Million cubic metres (2019)
- Liquid biofuels production capacities 718.57 Thousand tonnes per year (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is passenger cars, by type of motor energy and size of engine in United Kingdom?
- Passenger cars, by type of motor energy and size of engine in United Kingdom was 32.91 million Number in 2024, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest passenger cars, by type of motor energy and size of engine recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 32.91 million Number in 2024.
- What is the lowest passenger cars, by type of motor energy and size of engine recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.67 million Number in 1970.
- How does United Kingdom rank for passenger cars, by type of motor energy and size of engine?
- United Kingdom ranks 4th out of 51 countries with data for 2024.
- Is passenger cars, by type of motor energy and size of engine rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Passenger cars, by type of motor energy and size of engine. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 42 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).