eCall facts and figures

There are more eCalls and eCall equipped vehicles than you may think.

Did you know…

eCall is mandatory in all new cars and light good vans that have been type-approved (i.e. approved for sale) from April 2018
Since the introduction 7 years ago we estimate there have been over 350,000 eCall activations in the UK
We estimate at least eleven million cars and light good vans (33%) on the UK roads today has eCall. Given the average age of vehicles in the UK is 9 years this could rise to 50% by 2028.
We estimate that in 2025 an eCall activates every 3 minutes in the UK.
More than one in ten of these is an automatic activation, where the vehicle has detected an incident, and over 70% of these calls request help from the emergency services
Over 70% of UK manual activations are false alarms
Only 28% of UK automatic activations are false alarms, and the most common cause are a few faulty vehicles sending multiple messages.

It is useful to see eCall statistics in the context of road safety statistics. Here are some facts and figures from the UK.

Higher fatality rate: In 2023, one in every 32 collisions on rural roads resulted in a death, compared to one in every 122 on urban roads, according to the Department for Transport.
More deaths overall: In 2023, there were 969 fatalities on rural roads, compared to 571 on urban roads.
Disproportionate danger: Rural roads, despite having less traffic than urban roads, account for a larger share of road fatalities.
Vehicles involved: A significant portion of rural road fatalities involve cars and vans.
Increased fatalities in previous years: Rural road deaths rose to a four-year high in 2022, with 1,017 fatalities.