Car specifications
Engine sizes of cars on UK roads
How the engines of the United Kingdom’s licensed cars have changed since 2014: engine size in bands, by fuel, from DVLA records published by the Department for Transport.
Of the 34,485,453 cars licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, 12.9% have an engine of up to 1,000cc, against 5.5% in 2014. The most common size group is 1,401cc to 1,600cc, with 25.3% of licensed cars, and 5.0% are electric, with no engine at all.
- Licensed cars, end of 2025 34.5 million United Kingdom
- Up to 1,000cc 12.9% 5.5% in 2014
- Most common size group 1,401cc to 1,600cc 25.3% of licensed cars
- No engine (electric) 5.0% 0.0% in 2014
Engine sizes over time
Share of licensed cars by engine size, 2014 to 2025
Share of all licensed cars at the end of each year. Electric cars have no engine size.
| Year | Up to 1,000cc | 1,001cc to 1,600cc | 1,601cc to 2,000cc | Over 2,000cc | No engine (electric) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 5.5% | 50.6% | 29.9% | 13.9% | 0.0% |
| 2015 | 6.1% | 50.8% | 29.1% | 13.9% | 0.1% |
| 2016 | 6.7% | 50.8% | 28.5% | 13.8% | 0.1% |
| 2017 | 7.3% | 50.8% | 28.0% | 13.7% | 0.1% |
| 2018 | 8.3% | 50.7% | 27.4% | 13.5% | 0.2% |
| 2019 | 9.2% | 50.5% | 26.9% | 13.0% | 0.3% |
| 2020 | 10.0% | 50.2% | 26.5% | 12.8% | 0.6% |
| 2021 | 10.7% | 49.7% | 25.9% | 12.5% | 1.2% |
| 2022 | 11.4% | 49.3% | 25.3% | 12.1% | 1.9% |
| 2023 | 12.1% | 49.0% | 24.4% | 11.7% | 2.8% |
| 2024 | 12.6% | 48.7% | 23.6% | 11.3% | 3.8% |
| 2025 | 12.9% | 48.4% | 22.8% | 10.9% | 5.0% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of 2014 to end of 2025 Updated
Petrol and diesel engine sizes
44.2% of licensed diesel cars have an engine of 1,601cc to 2,000cc, against 12.4% of petrol cars. Among petrol cars, 22.2% are up to 1,000cc, up from 8.8% in 2014.
Engine sizes by fuel, end of 2025
Engine size in litres: 1.0–1.4 means 1,001cc to 1,400cc. Each fuel’s cars add up to 100%.
| Engine size (litres) | Petrol | Diesel | Hybrid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 1.0 | 22.2% | 0.0% | 8.2% |
| 1.0–1.4 | 37.9% | 2.7% | 14.7% |
| 1.4–1.6 | 21.7% | 31.2% | 40.8% |
| 1.6–2.0 | 12.4% | 44.2% | 27.0% |
| 2.0–3.0 | 3.4% | 21.1% | 8.0% |
| Over 3.0 | 2.4% | 0.7% | 1.3% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of 2014 to end of 2025 Updated
Models with the most small-engined cars
Models with the most licensed cars of up to 1,000cc at the end of 2025, and the share of each model’s licensed cars that size.
| Model | Up to 1,000cc | Share of the model |
|---|---|---|
| Ford Fiesta | 487,379 | 37.6% |
| Toyota Aygo | 306,212 | 99.9% |
| Ford Focus | 297,307 | 33.2% |
| Volkswagen Polo | 283,550 | 41.4% |
| Ford Puma | 215,068 | 91.4% |
| Kia Picanto | 138,867 | 63.1% |
| Citroën C1 | 132,288 | 84.4% |
| Volkswagen Up | 128,552 | 97.7% |
| Hyundai i10 | 114,580 | 40.5% |
| Nissan Juke | 113,316 | 27.4% |
| Dacia Sandero | 111,914 | 77.1% |
| Audi A1 | 107,005 | 39.8% |
| Renault Clio | 102,837 | 30.7% |
| Peugeot 107 | 101,840 | 100.0% |
| Skoda Fabia | 97,474 | 39.2% |
Year by year
| End of | Up to 1,000cc | 1,001cc to 1,400cc | 1,401cc to 1,600cc | 1,601cc to 2,000cc | 2,001cc to 3,000cc | Over 3,000cc | No engine (electric) | All cars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 1,682,646 | 8,687,696 | 6,652,390 | 9,067,016 | 3,515,040 | 708,163 | 12,465 | 30,330,225 |
| 2015 | 1,881,314 | 8,772,434 | 6,957,372 | 9,029,400 | 3,616,713 | 704,403 | 21,071 | 30,987,527 |
| 2016 | 2,122,594 | 8,882,717 | 7,276,981 | 9,075,407 | 3,699,309 | 700,386 | 29,837 | 31,792,259 |
| 2017 | 2,359,628 | 8,894,001 | 7,446,072 | 9,013,203 | 3,713,009 | 687,051 | 42,173 | 32,159,943 |
| 2018 | 2,700,633 | 8,830,403 | 7,632,810 | 8,897,436 | 3,693,761 | 676,801 | 56,496 | 32,493,258 |
| 2019 | 3,037,682 | 8,756,864 | 7,862,066 | 8,847,727 | 3,619,341 | 664,671 | 91,121 | 32,884,320 |
| 2020 | 3,260,296 | 8,541,900 | 7,862,732 | 8,666,355 | 3,526,477 | 644,262 | 194,289 | 32,697,408 |
| 2021 | 3,532,833 | 8,401,080 | 7,941,969 | 8,527,123 | 3,464,870 | 640,974 | 379,514 | 32,889,462 |
| 2022 | 3,767,623 | 8,302,077 | 8,069,349 | 8,388,305 | 3,402,100 | 627,544 | 629,213 | 33,187,308 |
| 2023 | 4,050,032 | 8,219,634 | 8,244,057 | 8,202,188 | 3,324,858 | 607,245 | 930,858 | 33,579,946 |
| 2024 | 4,275,195 | 8,102,475 | 8,444,499 | 8,028,377 | 3,240,601 | 587,053 | 1,287,376 | 33,966,632 |
| 2025 | 4,441,572 | 7,961,406 | 8,713,900 | 7,867,632 | 3,184,394 | 578,264 | 1,737,247 | 34,485,453 |
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed cars by engine size and fuel | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of 2014 to end of 2025 | 34,485,453 licensed cars (latest year) | 15 September 2026 |
- United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). Licensed cars at the end of each year; SORN vehicles are excluded.
- DVLA records engine size in 100cc bands (for example 901cc to 1,000cc), grouped here into six size groups.
- Electric cars have no engine size. 1,038 cars with an engine have no size recorded and are left out of the size groups but counted in all cars.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.