AssessorsJournalMagSpring2024 web - Flipbook - Page 7
TWO MILLION USED CARS CHANGE
HANDS IN FIRST THREE MONTHS OF 2024
The UK’s used car market was up
6.5% in the 昀椀rst quarter of 2024
with 1,967,923 units 昀椀nding new
owners – the strongest start to a year
since pre-pandemic 2019, according to
the most recent SMMT data.
The increase marks 16 months of
successive growth, re昀氀ecting recovering
supply in the new car market which is in
turn improving availability and choice
of second-hand motors.
Increasing numbers of battery electric
vehicles (BEVs) are now entering the
used sector, with Q1 sales up by
more than two thirds (71.0%) to
41,505 – posting a new record market
share of 2.1%.
The Ford Fiesta was the best-selling
used car in the 昀椀rst three months of
2024, with 80,814 second-hand Fiesta's
sold in Q1, followed by the Vauxhall
Corsa (66,821), Ford’s Focus (60,058),
Volkswagen's Golf (59,810) and the
MINI (42,102).
THE IMI WARNS ADAS UPSKILLING NOT
KEEPING PACE WITH UK CAR PARC
% of UK car parc with level 2 autonomy
% of UK car parc without level 2 autonomy
100%
80%
60%
40%
203
2
0%
202
9
203
0
203
1
20%
202
7
202
8
The Automated Vehicles Bill 2024 is
set to receive Royal Assent, providing
a pathway to the future of autonomous
travel within the UK. However, the IMI,
the professional body representing
“Failure to maintain and update these
high-tech systems, many of which are
designed to keep road users safe,
really could be a matter of life and
death. To ensure checks are carried
“We expect half of the vehicles on the
road to feature ADAS as soon as 2032,
but at the current rate of certi昀椀cation
this will represent a signi昀椀cant and
dangerous skills gap for the industry,”
said Hayley. “And that’s even before
we think about the introduction of fully
automated vehicles.
out accurately, we desperately need
more technicians to be trained to work
on vehicles with this technology. We
are therefore urging government and
policymakers to ensure there’s the
funding and infrastructure to support
the essential upskilling.”
202
4
202
5
202
6
the interests of those working in the
automotive sector, believes there is still
work to be done to ensure the funding
is available for the upskilling required
to work on and calibrate automated
vehicles for safe use.
202
1
202
2
202
3
The Institute of the Motor Industry’S
(IMI’s) latest data shows that at
the end of March 2024 there were
4,150 technicians quali昀椀ed to work
on vehicles with level 2 autonomy,
representing just 2% of all UK
technicians. Level 2 autonomy is the
pre-cursor to fully automated vehicles
and currently 12% of the UK car parc
features some form of advanced driver
assistance systems (ADAS). Therefore,
even before fully automated vehicles
become available there is a serious
road safety risk, warned Hayley Pells,
Policy Lead at the IMI.
Proportion of UK car parc with level 2 autonomy
POTHOLE-RELATED
BREAKDOWNS UP 50% IN 2024
According to data from the RAC,
pothole-related breakdowns were
up 50% in 2024. The RAC attended
nearly 8,000 (7,904) breakdowns in
the 昀椀rst quarter of 2024 due to bad
road surfaces, up 53% on the last three
months of 2023.
Kwik Fit reports that drivers in the
UK had to spend £1.48 billion on
pothole-related vehicle damages last
year.
[continued on page 8]
www.iaea-online.org/news/the-assessor | SPRING 2024 | THE ASSESSORS JOURNAL
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