Car Ownership Among Women Rises by 1/5 in a Decade

The number of female drivers in the UK has increased dramatically over the last 10 years with women now owning over a third of all cars on the road.

The data was compiled by the Society of Motor Manufacturers (SMMT) in their yearly Motorparc survey which showed that the number of cars owned by women had increased by 21% since 2007.

The study also shed light on the ever increasing number of choices available to prospective motorists looking to buy cars.  1,500 different models and 65,000 different specifications are currently available to prospective buyers, up from 1,200 and 56,000 respectively a year ago.

Although there is a wealth of options available it appears that UK drivers remain predominately monochromatic in their choices, with black, silver, grey black and white making up the majority of car hues. The study also showed a 70.5% rise in the number of cars with automatic gearboxes available. The has increased by 100% since 2007, and automatic cars now make up around a third of all cars on the road in the UK.

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, 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.

“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.”