A total of 10,380 new 50hp+ tractors were registered in the UK last year, reports the AEA. While 14% lower than in 2019, it is similar to the levels recorded in 2015 and 2016, the lowest figures in recent years.
Most of the year-on-year decline in 2020 took place between April and July, when supply chains were adversely affected by Covid disruptions.
For the final five months of the year, registrations were 11% higher than in August to December 2019 and from September onwards volumes were slightly above the average of recent years (December monthly total was up by more than a quarter to 776 units, compared with December 2019).
Source: AEA
Almost all parts of the UK saw a decline in registrations between 2019 and 2020. Only the south east of England saw a fractional rise in registrations. However, the rate of decline was smaller in the north of England and Wales than elsewhere. The sharpest fall was in the Home Counties, with the south west and Northern Ireland also seeing declines of over 20%, compared with 2019.
The decline in registrations was seen across most of the power range, but 25% more tractors over 320hp were registered in 2020 than in 2019.
Source: AEA
There was a modest fall among machines over 200hp but all broad power bands below that level (and above 50hp) saw year-on-year falls of 15-20%.
The rise in registrations at the top end of the power range meant that the average tractor power registered during the year topped 170hp for the first time, reaching 171hp; a rise of nearly 30hp, compared with a decade ago.
