Statistics from the annual Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) Motorparc survey has found that female car ownership is up by 21 per cent since 2007 – with women now making up more than a third of owners in the UK.
That means that 11.8 million women now own a car, compared to the 22.9 million registered to men in the UK – totalling 34.7 million motors currently on British roads, a figure which is up by 12 per cent compared to 2007.
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More drivers are also adopting automatic gearboxes, with registrations up by 70.5 per cent compared to 2007. The transmission made up 40 per cent of sales in 2017.
The figures also show that there is more diversity on British roads than ever before, as customers can now choose from 1,500 model ranges and 65,000 different specifications – compared to 1,200 and 56,000 a decade ago.
Supermini continues to be the most popular segment with 11,492,113 on the road – 2.2 million ahead of the next sector, lower medium.
Silver is the top colour for cars, with blue being the only non-monochrome colour in the top five of body colours. Black came in second, with white and grey fourth and fifth respectively.
SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: “Consumers are enjoying greater freedom and mobility than ever before, 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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