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 Department for Transport 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 (>50 hp) : Monthly 2016-2018
| Year | Month | Units | Yearly % Change | Year to date | Yearly % Change | Moving Total | Yearly % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Jan | 586 | -10.7 | 586 | -10.7 | 10772 | -12.9 |
| Feb | 560 | +11.3 | 1146 | -1.1 | 10829 | -11.1 | |
| Mar | 1236 | -16.1 | 2382 | -9.5 | 10591 | -10.4 | |
| Apr | 1025 | -20.7 | 3407 | -13.2 | 10324 | -12.6 | |
| May | 968 | +14.4 | 4375 | -8.3 | 10446 | -8.4 | |
| Jun | 1007 | -16.0 | 5382 | -9.8 | 10254 | -10.5 | |
| Jul | 942 | -18.6 | 6324 | -11.3 | 10039 | -10.5 | |
| Aug | 953 | +14.7 | 7277 | -8.6 | 10161 | -7.0 | |
| Sep | 1108 | +32.9 | 8385 | -4.6 | 10435 | -2.2 | |
| Oct | 1105 | +33.5 | 9490 | -1.4 | 10712 | -0.1 | |
| Nov | 597 | -4.8 | 10087 | -1.6 | 10682 | -1.3 | |
| Dec | 515 | -13.4 | 10602 | -2.2 | 10602 | -2.2 | |
| 2017 | Jan | 634 | +8.2 | 634 | +8.2 | 10650 | -1.1 |
| Feb | 620 | +10.7 | 1254 | +9.4 | 10710 | -1.1 | |
| Mar | 1770 | +43.2 | 3024 | +27.0 | 11244 | +6.2 | |
| Apr | 1072 | +4.6 | 4096 | +20.2 | 11291 | +9.4 | |
| May | 1008 | +4.1 | 5104 | +16.7 | 11331 | +8.5 | |
| Jun | 1038 | +3.1 | 6142 | +14.1 | 11362 | +10.8 | |
| Jul | 1091 | +15.8 | 7233 | +14.4 | 11511 | +14.7 | |
| Aug | 878 | -7.9 | 8111 | +11.5 | 11436 | +12.5 | |
| Sep | 947 | -14.5 | 9058 | +8.0 | 11275 | +8.0 | |
| Oct | 846 | -23.4 | 9904 | +4.4 | 11016 | +2.8 | |
| Nov | 769 | +28.8 | 10673 | +5.8 | 11188 | +4.7 | |
| Dec | 1360 | +164.1 | 12033 | +13.5 | 12033 | +13.5 | |
| 2018 | Jan | 698 | +10.1 | 698 | +10.1 | 12097 | +13.6 |
| Feb | 584 | -5.8 | 1282 | +2.2 | 12061 | +12.6 | |
| Mar | 1650 | -6.8 | 2932 | -3.0 | 11941 | +6.2 | |
| Apr | 1189 | +10.9 | 4121 | +0.6 | 12058 | +6.8 | |
| May | 1221 | +21.1 | 5342 | +4.7 | 12271 | +8.3 | |
| Jun | 1187 | +14.4 | 6529 | +6.3 | 12420 | +9.3 | |
| Jul | 1347 | +23.5 | 7876 | +8.9 | 12676 | +10.1 | |
| Aug | 862 | -1.8 | 8738 | +7.7 | 12660 | +10.7 | |
| Sep | 968 | +2.2 | 9706 | +7.2 | 12681 | +12.5 |
Source: AEA Economics Department
Agricultural Tractors: Registrations tracked above the previous year’s level throughout the first half of 2017, with particularly strong growth in March. There was a year-on-year decline in the autumn, a time when registrations were inflated in 2016 due to a number of end-of-series promotions. However, registrations returned to growth at the end of the year, boosted by pre-registrations of tractors in advance of the introduction of new regulations on 1 January 2018.
History: Tractor registrations rose in 2017 for only the second time in nine years and the first time since 2011. However, after a prolonged period of decline, numbers are still well below the peak years around a decade ago. The second chart illustrates that the total power of units registered also returned to growth in 2017, as the average power increased again, and reached its highest level since 2012, when the number of tractors registered was 16% higher than in 2017.
Regional: Figures on the regional distribution of tractor registrations shows fairly consistent growth across most of the English regions. Outside England it was a more mixed picture, however, with growth in Scotland, albeit slower than in England at 10%, little change in Northern Ireland and a small decline in Welsh registrations.
Source: AEA Economics Department
| 2015 | 2016 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Company | Units | % of Total | Units | % of Total |
| John Deere | 3655 | 30.2 | 3350 | 27.9 |
| CNH of which: New Holland Case IH | 3283 2264 1019 | 27.1 18.7 8.4 | 3117 2110 1007 | 25.9 17.5 8.4 |
| AGCO of which: MF Fendt Valtra | 2577 1459 696 422 | 21.3 12.1 5.7 3.5 | 2705 1434 837 434 | 22.5 11.9 7.0 3.6 |
| Kubota | 810 | 6.7 | 852 | 7.1 |
| Claas | 583 | 4.8 | 667 | 5.5 |
| Same Deutz-Fahr | 284 | 2.3 | 331 | 2.8 |
| AgriArgo of which: McCormick Landini | 289 184 105 | 2.4 1.5 0.9 | 232 147 85 | 1.9 1.2 0.7 |
| JCB | 156 | 1.3 | 194 | 1.6 |
| Zetor | 128 | 1.1 | 159 | 1.3 |
| Others | 347 | 2.9 | 418 | 3.5 |
| Total UK | 12112 | 100.0 | 12025 | 100.0 |
N.B. Data includes Compact Tractors (<= 50 hp) and Agricultural tractors (> 50 hp)
Case includes Steyr, MF includes Challenger
Data released after one year delay
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Units | 17104 | 15013 | 13347 | 14094 | 13951 | 12498 | 12433 | 10842 | 10602 | 12033 |
| Annual % Change | +10.1 | -12.2 | -11.1 | +5.6 | -1 | -10.4 | -0.5 | -12.8 | -2.2 | +13.5 |
| Total horsepower (000′s) | 2361 | 2153 | 1892 | 2033 | 2066 | 1883 | 1928 | 1702 | 1678 | 1951 |
| Annual % Change | +13.4 | -8.8 | -12.1 | +7.5 | +1.6 | -8.8 | +2.4 | -11.7 | -1.4 | +16.3 |
| Average horsepower | 138.1 | 143.4 | 141.7 | 144.3 | 148 | 150.7 | 155.1 | 157 | 158.3 | 162.2 |
| Annual % Change | +3.1 | +3.9 | -1.2 | +1.8 | +2.6 | +1.8 | +2.9 | +1.2 | +0.8 | +2.4 |
