Female car ownership soars by 21% 17 | 04 | 2018
THE NUMBER OF FEMALE car owners has grown by 21% in the last 10 years. In contrast, the number of male owners has grown by only 10% increase, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
The report shows the number of models registered by women has reached 11.8 million since 2007. Women now own more than a third of the UK’s cars.
Since 2007, overall vehicle ownership has risen by 12%, meaning a total of 34.7 million cars fight for space on the UK’s roads every day.
The latest research by the SMMT also shows that although manual gearboxes are still the dominant choice, the number of automatic cars has risen by a whopping 70.5%. That means there are now 8.4m autos now on the road.
The new data from the SMMT also showed there’s a greater variety of cars being registered. Last year 1500 different model lines and 65,000 different individual specifications were registered. The analysis also confirmed more than a fifth of cars on the road in 2017 were three years old or younger.
It will also come as no surprise to you that over the last decade there has also been a 90% growth in sales of ‘dual-purpose vehicles’ — that’s SUVs and crossovers, to you and me — equating to 10.2% of the overall market.
As for changes in colour? The SMMT report identified silver as the most popular car colour last year, followed closely by black and blue. And while white and grey have become far more prevalent, previous popular colours such as red and green don’t even make the top five
“Consumers are enjoying greater freedom and mobility than ever before,” Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said, “which, along with greater reliability and improved fuel efficiency, make owning a car a more attractive and affordable option for millions of people.
“With every new model launched, more motorists are benefitting from more advanced technology. From innovative safety systems such as autonomous emergency braking and adaptive speed control, to state-of-the-art infotainment and comfort features, including heads-up navigation, heated seats and air-con, in-car WiFi and greater connectivity.
“This latest Motorparc analysis shows the shifts in consumer preferences and behaviour over the past decade and provides insight for car makers and dealers to help them adapt to changing consumer behaviour in the future.”
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Jim McGill