The number of cars on UK roads has fallen for the first time in 64 years, bucking the upward trend which has traced a year-on-year rise in the vehicle parc since World War Two.
According to the SMMT’s analysis this is the first peacetime decline since vehicle records began in 1904.
Growth in the UK parc has slowed during recent years and now sits at 31,035,791 cars, representing a 0.7% fall in 2009 compared to 2008.
There was an average 1.7% reduction in CO2 emissions across the 2009 parc, compared with the previous year. In the past three years, the number of vehicles which emit less than 120g/km of CO2 has risen by more than 90%, and now accounts for 936,117 vehicles on the road.
SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt said the recession is the most obvious factor impacting the number of cars on the road.
“The scrappage scheme has also removed a large number of older and more polluting vehicles. Alongside these economic factors, tough enforcement has helped remove unlicenced vehicles from UK roads.”
Silver remains the most popular colour for cars for the second consecutive year, followed closely by blue and black.