Figures from the Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA) show that tractor registrations in the first half of 2021 were up by more than a quarter compared to the same period in 2020. Now, they have released a breakdown of the registrations by horsepower and region.
In the power brackets, while all sectors saw an increase, the strongest growth could be seen in the 121-140hp bracket, increasing from 514 to 850 machines (up by 65.4%), the 141-160hp bracket, up from 936 to 1,298 (38.7%) and the 201-240hp bracket, increasing from 839 to 1,029 (22.6%).
Interestingly, the 161-200hp bracket saw the smallest increase, despite being widely considered the most popular tractor sector and encompassing the UK average horsepower. This increased by 6.3%, from 1,294 to 1,376 units.
Breaking the market down into regions and every part of the UK saw an increase, although the West Midlands and South East/Home Counties saw year-on-year rises of less than 10%.
The West Midlands increased by just 1.4%, from 346 machines to 351. While the South East & Channel Islands saw 560 machines registered in 2021 (a 6.5% increase) and the Home Counties & London saw 250 machines (up by 7.3%).
It will be interesting to see if these anomalies continue throughout the year.
The strongest increase was in the East Midlands, which saw nearly double the number of tractor registrations when compared to the first six months of 2020. It jumped from 236 to 431 (82.6%).
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also saw strong growth, with Scotland increasing by 22.6%, Wales by 20.9% and Northern Ireland by a massive 61.4%.
Total registrations so far for 2021 sit at 6,845, 25.3% higher than the same period in 2020.