2017’s sales winners

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Which makers had a great year? We analyse the figures

THE average CO2 emissions of cars sold in Britain rose for the first time in two decades in 2017, thanks to plummeting sales of diesel vehicles. This also drove the overall market into decline after two record years.

Official figures released last week by the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that the UK new car market shrank by 5.7 per cent in 2017, to 2.54 million registrations. Within that, sales of petrol vehicles increased slightly, by 2.7 per cent, but this was more than offset by a drop in diesel registrations of just over 17 per cent.

This decline in diesel sales means that for the first time since CO2 records started being published two decades ago, the UK car market’s fleet average has gone up instead of down.

The average CO2 emissions of new cars registered in 2017 was 121g/km – a rise from 2016’s figure of 120.1g/km. Chief executive officer of the SMMT, Mike Hawes, said the rise of the CO2 average figure was “bad for the environment and bad for the country”.

He called on the Government to provide greater support and clarity on the benefits of new diesels for lots of customers – many of whom are said to have “stalled” over upgrading, potentially keeping older, more polluting vehicles on the road.

Hawes described the overall drop in UK car sales as “to be expected in a volatile period” and pointed out that the figures still represent the industry’s sixth best year in history.

Sales of vehicles powered by alternative fuels continued to rise in 2017, although their share of the market remains small at just under five per cent. Around 71,000 hybrids were sold in 2017, as well as 34,000 plug-in hybrids and just 13,000 pure electric cars.

Among the major manufacturers, Vauxhall, Peugeot and Renault all saw significant drops in their sales totals, while SEAT, Toyota and Mercedes all posted useful gains.

“[The rise of the CO2 average figure is] bad for the environment and bad for the country” Mike Hawes SMMT chief executive