Automotive Industry Stats 2022
The last few years have seen a huge number of changes in the automotive industry. In 2020, the UK made an ambitious pledge to end the sale of new internal combustion engine (ICE) cars by 2030, meaning that the nation now has just eight years to ensure it has the infrastructure in place to support a surge in electric vehicle (EV) usage.
Similarly, in 2021, the European Union proposed a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035. Parallel to these bans is the rise in EV ownership; despite the various effects of the pandemic and the global semiconductor chip shortage, more battery electric vehicles (BEVs) were sold in 2021 than in the previous five years combined.
Speaking of the pandemic, COVID-19 has had a marked impact on the state of the automotive industry since 2020. The number of overall miles driven dropped dramatically during periods of lockdown, and many people are still working from home or flexibly rather than commuting every day. In contrast with this, the pandemic has also created a rise in staycations (holidaying in one’s home country) in the absence of being able to fly abroad, which may have impacted numbers of road trips and car rentals.
Here are all the motoring industry stats you need to know for 2022.
UK car sales
With ICE cars losing popularity while EVs increasingly gain ground, how does the UK fare for car sales in recent years?
New car registrations in 2021 rose one per cent higher than in 2020.
New car registrations in 2021 were still 28.7% lower than pre-pandemic levels.
March 2022 saw the highest volume of electric vehicle registrations recorded in just one month – 39,315 – an increase of 78.7% compared to March 2021.
Sales of diesel cars dropped 46.9% in 2021 compared to 2020.
Sales of petrol cars dropped 14.8% in 2021 compared to 2020.
Sales of battery electric vehicles increased 88.9% in 2021 compared to 2020.
Battery electric vehicles now make up 10.6% of the overall market share in the UK with petrol at 46.9% and diesel at 8.5%.
40% of all car models now have a plug.
EU car sales
Between January and April 2022, new car registrations dropped by 14.4%, totalling 2,930,366 units. (Source: ACEA)
The plug-in EV market share in Europe reached 22% in March 2022, with the Tesla Model 3 and and Model Y being the best-selling in that quarter. (Source: InsideEVs)
From January to October, 2021, new car registrations in the EU were up 2.2% compared to 2020.
EU car sales (Jan-Oct, 2021) totalled 8.2 million units.
In this period, Italy’s sales rose 12.7%, Spain 5.6%, and France 3.1%, while Germany dropped 5.2% compared to 2020.
In Q1-Q3 Electric vehicles had a market share of 7.6%, petrol 41.3%, and diesel 20.5%.
UK automotive industry stats
While we’ve been living through a time of real unease since 2020, the world has spun on and the automotive market continues to evolve. Here are some deeper-diving stats on the state of the industry in the UK.
In 2020, the UK automotive industry turned over £60.2 billion.
35.08 million cars on UK roads in 2020.
1.8 million engines built in the UK in 2020.
797,300 people were employed in the industry in 2020.
80% of UK-produced cars are exported to 140 overseas markets.
Electric vehicles made up over a quarter of car manufacturing in 2021
Battery-electric vehicle production rose by 72% in 2021
Production of hybrid vehicles rose 16.4% in 2021 compared to 2020
Predictions
While it’s been a rollercoaster couple of years for everybody and everything – including the automotive industry – here’s what the experts have to say about what lies ahead.
Finbold estimates that Tesla’s 2022 sales will, for the first time, surpass the one million to stand at 1,544,402; growing 64.9% from last year's figure. (Source: Finbold)
Experts expect the semiconductor shortage to extend into 2023. (Source: SME)
By 2025, it’s predicted that 25% of cars sold will have electric engines – but most will be hybrids. (Source: Goldman Sachs)
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has stated that the UK 2022 outlook for new cars registered has been reduced from 1.89 million to 1.72 million. (Source: Reuters)
By the time 2022 ends, it’s predicted that EVs will outsell diesel and mild hybrid diesel cars. (Source: heycar)
Car Models
Now that so many of us are considering going electric, there’s a lot of discussion about the range they can provide. Here are the models by fuel type that will go the furthest.
The best-performing petrol cars are Peugeot 108 and Kia Picanto, both offering an average of 58.9mpg, amounting to around 523 miles. (Source: AutoExpress)
The diesel Nissan Navara will do the most miles of any UK vehicle with a total of 710.95 miles.
For electric cars, the 2022 Lucid Air Dream Edition R has the longest range at 520 miles.
Despite a certain degree of (generally unfounded) fear mongering in the media, electric vehicles are becoming more and more mainstream, ushering us into a new era of automotive. This spreading acceptance of a new way of driving, alongside ICE bans across the world, all point to a much greener future.