The number of new cars sold and registered in the UK in 2022 was the lowest in three decades, new industry research has shown.
Just over 1.6mln new cars were registered throughout 2022, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) calculated, the lowest since 1992 and 25% lower than pre-pandemic levels.
"It's still the long Covid effect. The key issue is global disruption to supply chains" said Mike Hawes, chief executive of the SMMT.
Shortages of semiconductor chips, of which modern cars require more than a thousand, along with tightening of Covid regulations in China were key driving forces in a weakened supply chain, he said.
“High logistics costs, more pressure on raw materials, the complexities of global manufacturing have really been brought to bear heavily on the industry this past year,” stated Hawes.
Nissan's Qashqai was the most popular car, with roughly 43,000 of the model sold to dethrone the 2021 leader, Vauxhall's Corsa, which was second last year with 36,000 sales.
Electric vehicles (EV) made up close to a fifth of all car sales in 2022, with the Tesla Model Y the most popular with buyers registering almost 36k last year.
Totalling 17% of all vehicle sales, EVs outperformed diesel vehicles for the first time - with over two thirds of EVs being purchased by businesses for company car fleets.
This trend is expected to continue as government policy continues to gear towards EVs, in 2030 petrol and diesel car sales will be banned and by 2024 all manufactures must offer some fully electric models.