Analysis of data from Solera Cap HPI shows that automatic vehicles now make up nearly a third of the UK’s car parc, having experienced a 118% increase over the past decade.
From 2014 to 2024, automatic cars increased by 13%, from 16.3% to 29.3% of the total parc. In 2014, there were 7.1 million automatic cars on UK roads, which more than doubled to over 15.5 million by last year, while manual cars saw a mere 2.4% increase, from 36.6 million to 37.5 million. New automatic registrations tripled from 400,000 in 2014 to 1.3 million in 2024, while manual registrations fell sharply from 708,000 to 274,000.
Key manufacturers boosting automatic registrations include Kia (5.1%), Land Rover (4%), and MG (3.9%).
Stacey Ward, Senior Data Director at Cap HPI, observes that the appeal of automatic vehicles has increased in urban areas due to their convenience in stop-and-go traffic. The emergence of electric vehicles (EVs), which are automatic, has further expedited this trend. Consequently, many manufacturers are phasing out manual options, and more learners are acquiring automatic-only licences.
2012 there were 550,000 automatic licence holders; by 2022, that number surpassed 1.1 million. Projections indicate that a quarter of new drivers will qualify for automatic-only licences by next year.
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