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The UK car market continues to see significant growth in the sale of American-style SUVs, with two-thirds of all new cars sold now classified as SUVs, and a 30% growth in market share over the last four years.
Facts at a Glance
SUV sales are concentrated in urban areas, where their size provides limited practical benefits but contributes to increased congestion, parking difficulties, and pedestrian safety concerns.
77% of SUVs sold this year still have internal combustion engines, entrenching higher emissions and fuel consumption—approximately 20% above that of non-SUV midsize cars.
The shift to electric vehicles is also dominated by SUVs; they now represent 71% of new battery electric vehicle registrations, up from 43% in 2021.
The physical impact of larger SUVs on infrastructure is substantial. A two-tonne SUV causes 16 times more road damage than a one-tonne car, increasing taxpayer-funded maintenance and repair costs.
SUVs are more polluting - on average, SUVs consume around 20% more fuel than an average medium-size non-SUV car.
Safety data highlights a concerning trend: pedestrian fatality risks increase by 82% for children and 44% for adults when struck by SUVs versus smaller vehicles.
And the public agree, 61% of UK car owners believe SUVs “take up too much space,” versus only 19% who disagree, and there is broad support for action to address the outsized impact of these cars on UK streets.
The UK ranks 16th out of 27 European countries regarding SUV purchase taxes. For example, buyers pay just £3,200 tax on an £85,000 BMW X5, compared to £66,600 in France for the same vehicle.
Including a simple Large Vehicle Levy on these cars in VED could help to close this gap while raising almost 2 billion annually for public services.
"Tax policy remains misaligned, that is why T&E UK, along with Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, and Solve the School Run, are calling for the introduction of a Large Vehicle Levy on cars over 1,600kg ahead of the Autumn Budget. This measure could generate £2 billion annually for public services such as filling potholes, addressing the disproportionate impact of larger vehicles without penalizing family cars. The levy is practical, fair, and could be implemented as early as next year." Eloise Sacares , Senior Researcher in UK Vehicles Policy at T&E UK, said.
