New SUV sales increase by 23% in one year

New research from Transport & Environment has revealed that more and more people are choosing to buy an SUV, with sales breaking the one million mark for the first time last year.  A 23% increase from 2022.

Extrapolating recent increases in sales, T&E speculate that by 2027 SUVs could make up 75% of new registrations.

While car manufacturers have been criticised for including a disproportionate number of SUVs in their electric vehicle output, 83% of those sold last year were petrol and diesel cars, hybrids, or plug-in hybrids.

Transport & Environment have been unearthing a number of startling statistic relating to SUVs of late. Only a couple of weeks ago they revealed that EV adoption is being throttled by the insistence of manufacturers to focus on larger, premium-priced EVs at the expense of more affordable compact cars. 

In January, they revealed that SUVs have been squeezing space on the road by getting 1cm wider every two years.

Ralph Palmer, UK Electric Vehicle and Fleets Officer at Transport & Environment, said: ‘SUV sales in the UK growing by more than a third in just two years is a dangerous trend that could spell disaster for the UK’s carbon budgets. The stubbornly high levels of polluting SUV sales is not only negating emissions savings from the move to battery electric vehicles, it’s embedding a culture of large, luxury cars, which is simply unsustainable. Carmakers, and the government, need to prioritise and support the production and sales of smaller, more affordable battery electric vehicles. That will ensure there are more mass market options available to British drivers so we can further progress on net zero targets.’

Sarah Rowe for the Clean Cities Campaign in Manchester, said: ‘I’m worried this trend for bigger cars means we’ll simply run out of space for things we actually need; more green space to relax in, safer spaces to walk and cycle and public space for communities to thrive.Air pollution and traffic is a serious problem in our cities and this trend of bigger cars will only make it worse. Just last week Parisians voted in favour of curbing SUVs and I think this shows us that people want to see action before it’s too late.’