Despite a small jump in September’s registrations, leading to the third quarter of 2025 being just 5% down year-on-year, the Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA) is reporting that tractor registrations remain down across all power bands and in nearly all regions.
High-horsepower tractors have been the hardest hit in the last nine months, with registrations of 241-320hp down 29.9% year-on-year, and tractors above 320hp down 31.9% compared to the same period in 2024.
However, no power band has shown an increase so far this year. Most showed decreases between 9% and 15%, with only the 121-140hp and 141-160hp sectors seeing smaller decreases (5% and 4.9% respectively).
Breaking down the last quarter, there is positive news in some brackets. While the high-horsepower market remains depressed, with machines over 240hp down 15% compared to the same quarter in 2024, tractors from 101-150hp were up year-on-year by 11% and there was some growth in the 201-240hp range.
The AEA states that this is likely due to the different financial situations facing arable and livestock sectors, although with registrations still at a historically low level, it’s likely there is a lack of confidence across the whole market.
Registrations by region
The difference between arable and livestock farmers can also be seen when looking at the regional figures. Only the South West has seen an increase in registrations from January to September, up seven machines (0.7%) to 1,043.
In the last quarter, the South East, South Wales, Southern Scotland and Northern Ireland also saw growth, according to the AEA.
However, key arable areas remain down year-on-year. Eastern England, typically the biggest area for tractor sales, is down 9.2% to 1,101 machines. Higher percentage falls were seen in the East and West Midlands (25% and 26.5%), and the highest drop year-on-year was in Yorkshire & Humberside, dropping from 585 machines in 2024 to just 385 tractors in the first nine months of 2025, a drop of 34.2%.