The UK purchased greater than twice as many vehicles because it scrapped in 2023, based on knowledge obtained by Autocar.
Obtained by Freedom of Information request, it revealed that 798,363 vehicles and light-weight industrial automobiles (LCVs) had been scrapped between the beginning of January and the top of October.
That’s lower than half of the 1,889,758 new vehicles and LCVs bought over the identical interval, and a drop in contrast with the 857,107 automobiles scrapped over the identical interval final yr.
This was regardless of the increase probably offered by London’s ULEZ scrappage scheme, which had its eligibility standards broadened in early August.
Autocar just lately reported that the ULEZ scrappage scheme was struggling to satisfy demand from candidates, following the enlargement of the clean-air zone on 29 August.
The earlier ULEZ scrappage scheme – which ran in 2021 and had a lot stricter necessities – was alone answerable for taking some 15,000 vehicles off the street, based on Transport for London.
Nonetheless, the UK’s automobile parc continues to age: European trade foyer group the ACEA printed figures in January revealing that the UK’s common automobile was 10 years outdated.
The Ford Focus was the most-scrapped automobile within the UK this yr, with 42,637 examples going to scrapyards.
The Focus has lengthy been one of many UK’s favorite vehicles. On its arrival in late 1998, it set a brand new benchmark for family-minded consumers, handily beating its rivals in nearly each respect.
It had extra radical, forward-thinking styling, rode extra comfortably, dealt with higher and but wasn’t considerably dearer.
Between 1999 and 2009 – over two generations – the Focus held the highest spot on the UK’s annual new automobile gross sales charts.
After that time, the smaller Ford Fiesta grew to become the nation’s most-bought automobile, however the Focus remained an everyday fixture within the prime 10.
Since 2009, there have been one other two generations of Focus, however the long-running hatchback will meet its end in 2025, amid Ford’s wider reinvention in Europe.
