UK tractor registrations are taken as a broad indicator of the strength of the domestic market for agricultural equipment. Tractors must be licensed for use on public roads and as such are registered with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) which allows an accurate count to be made. In value terms, sales of tractors, plus parts and accessories, account for almost one half of farmers’ total spend on equipment, which again makes this data series a prime indicator.
Agricultural Tractor Registrations (>50hp): Monthly 2021-2023
| Year | Month | Units | Yearly % Change | Year to date | Yearly % Change | Moving Total | Yearly % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Jan | 580 | +15.8 | 580 | +15.8 | 10459 | -11.7 |
| Feb | 594 | +2.8 | 1174 | +8.8 | 10475 | -12.0 | |
| Mar | 2085 | +14.9 | 3259 | +12.7 | 10746 | -9.6 | |
| Apr | 1009 | +11.1 | 4268 | +12.3 | 10847 | -1.8 | |
| May | 1103 | +74.8 | 5371 | +21.2 | 11319 | +6.1 | |
| Jun | 1474 | +43.2 | 6845 | +25.3 | 11764 | +11.0 | |
| Jul | 1019 | +7.0 | 7864 | +22.6 | 11831 | +18.3 | |
| Aug | 829 | +26.2 | 8693 | +23.0 | 12003 | +20.1 | |
| Sep | 1159 | -3.3 | 9852 | +19.1 | 11963 | +17.5 | |
| Oct | 739 | +7.9 | 10591 | +18.3 | 12017 | +19.0 | |
| Nov | 543 | -16.5 | 11134 | +15.9 | 11910 | +16.5 | |
| Dec | 883 | +13.8 | 12017 | +15.8 | 12017 | +15.8 | |
| 2022 | Jan | 500 | -13.8 | 500 | -13.8 | 11937 | +14.1 |
| Feb | 571 | -3.9 | 1071 | -8.8 | 11914 | +13.7 | |
| Mar | 1976 | -5.2 | 3047 | -6.5 | 11805 | +9.9 | |
| Apr | 1152 | +14.2 | 4199 | -1.6 | 11948 | +10.2 | |
| May | 1283 | +16.3 | 5482 | +2.1 | 12128 | +7.1 | |
| Jun | 938 | -36.4 | 6420 | -6.2 | 11592 | -1.5 | |
| Jul | 973 | -4.5 | 7393 | -6.0 | 11546 | -2.4 | |
| Aug | 834 | +0.6 | 8227 | -5.4 | 11551 | -3.8 | |
| Sep | 1070 | -7.7 | 9297 | -5.6 | 11462 | -4.2 | |
| Oct | 926 | +25.3 | 10223 | -3.5 | 11649 | -3.1 | |
| Nov | 728 | +34.1 | 10951 | -1.6 | 11834 | -0.6 | |
| Dec | 628 | -28.9 | 11580 | -3.6 | 11580 | -3.6 | |
| 2023 | Jan | 644 | +28.8 | 644 | +28.8 | 11724 | -1.8 |
| Feb | 487 | -14.7 | 1131 | +5.6 | 11640 | -2.3 | |
| Mar | 2223 | +12.5 | 3354 | +10.1 | 11887 | +0.7 | |
| Apr | 1280 | +11.1 | 4634 | +10.4 | 12015 | +0.6 | |
| May | 1015 | -20.9 | 5649 | +3.0 | 11747 | -3.1 | |
| Jun | 1128 | +20.3 | 6777 | +5.6 | 11937 | +3.0 | |
| Jul | 1097 | +12.7 | 7874 | +6.5 | 12061 | +4.5 | |
| Aug | 714 | -14.4 | 8588 | +4.4 | 11941 | +3.4 |
Source: AEA Economics Department/DVLA
Annual Market Summary (2022): Global supply chain disruptions continued to affect the agricultural machinery industry in 2022, for the third year in a row. These were primarily a knock-on effect of the Covid-19 pandemic but the war in Ukraine added to them in the latest year. As a result registrations may not accurately reflect the underlying demand in the market. That being said, registrations in 2022 were only slightly lower than in 2021 but were in line with the average of recent years. Registrations were particularly strong in the first half of 2021, so a decline was always likely in 2022 and the 6% fall recorded meant registrations were still slightly above average. The number of machines reported in the second half of 2022 was almost unchanged from a year earlier, with some year-on-year growth in the final quarter of the year.
Historic Trends: Tractor registrations in 2022 were 4% lower than than in 2021 but were close to the average size of the market in the previous five years. The number of agricultural tractors being registered has been fairly stable in recent years but is lower than historically, mainly due to the larger size of modern machines. As a result, the total power of tractors registered annually has fluctuated around 2 million horsepower, without a clear long-term trend. A small rise in the average power of machines registered during 2022 meant the total power of those tractors was only slightly lower than in 2021. The average power of 2022 registrations was exceeded only in 2020, when the market was disrupted due to Covid-19. Over the long-term, the average power of tractors has increased at a steady pace since at least 1990, when the average power of tractors registered was 90hp. In 2022, it was 168hp.
Regional Trends: Registrations declined in 2022 across most English regions, except for the Home Counties (including London), Yorkshire and the Humber and West Midlands. The three regions with the highest number of registrations – the South West, East of England and North West – all recorded year-on-year declines between 2021 and 2022, while the sharpest fall was in the South East. Scotland and Wales also saw lower registrations in the latest year but there slightly more machines recorded in Northern Ireland than in the previous year.
Source: AEA Economics Department
| 2020 | 2021 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Company | Units | % of Total | Units | % of Total |
| John Deere | 3157 | 26.5 | 3558 | 25.3 |
| CNH of which: New Holland Case IH | 3229 2129 1100 | 27.1 17.8 9.2 | 4037 2682 1355 | 28.7 19.1 9.6 |
| AGCO of which: MF Fendt Valtra | 3133 1581 898 654 | 26.3 13.2 7.5 5.5 | 3087 1530 911 646 | 21.9 10.9 6.5 4.6 |
| Kubota | 784 | 6.6 | 947 | 6.7 |
| Claas | 449 | 3.8 | 557 | 4.0 |
| JCB | 187 | 1.6 | 261 | 1.9 |
| Same Deutz-Fahr | 208 | 1.7 | 257 | 1.8 |
| AgriArgo of which: McCormick Landini | 154 103 51 | 1.3 0.9 0.4 | 200 131 69 | 1.4 0.9 0.5 |
| Others | 634 | 5.3 | 1167 | 8.3 |
| Total UK | 11935 | 100.0 | 14071 | 100.0 |
N.B. Data includes Compact Tractors (<= 50 hp) and Agricultural tractors (> 50 hp)
Data released after one year delay due to the requirements of Competition Law.
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Units | 11928 | 12013 | 12040 | 10380 | 12017 | 11580 |
| Annual % Change | +13.7 | +0.7 | +0.2 | -13.8 | +15.8 | -3.6 |
| Total horsepower (000′s) | 1939 | 1991 | 1999 | 1775 | 1999 | 1950 |
| Annual % Change | +16.4 | +2.7 | +0.4 | -11.2 | +12.6 | -2.5 |
| Average horsepower | 162.6 | 165.8 | 166.0 | 171.0 | 166.3 | 168.4 |
| Annual % Change | +2.4 | +2.0 | +0.1 | +3.0 | -2.7 | +1.2 |
