UK Tractor registrations in 2022 were 4% lower than in 2021 but were close to the average size of the market in the previous five years.
UK Tractor Sales Expected to Recover
According to the Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA), it is likely that registrations would have been higher still in both 2021 and 2022 were it not for the disruptions to supply chains. This meant that sales of tractors to customers have not kept pace with demand, and there is still a backlog of orders waiting to be delivered in 2023. Once supply chain issues have been resolved, the market is expected to recover somewhat.
A small rise in the average power of machines registered during the year 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.
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, though, while the sharpest fall was in the South East. Scotland and Wales also saw lower registrations in the latest year, but there were slightly more machines recorded in Northern Ireland than in the previous year.
Top selling brands up to 2022 showed no real change for any manufacturer, with John Deere and CNH (New Holland/ Case IH) taking the top spots.
In tractors over 50hp, sales were down 3.6 per cent, and the total horsepower in the market dropped by 2.5 per cent, but the average horsepower increased by 1.2 per cent.
