The UK new car market rose 1.0 per cent in the key ‘74’ plate change month of September, to 275,239 units, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). In what is traditionally a bumper month for new car registrations, second only to March, the performance was the best since 2020, but still -19.8 per cent off pre-Covid September 2019.
“June marks a return to growth for new car registrations in the EU. However, it is important to note that the first half of 2024 experienced fluctuations, with consecutive growth occurring only in the first two months of the year,” said Sue Robinson, Chief Executive of the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), commenting on the latest European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) April figures.
The UK new car market has hit the half year million motors mark for the first time in five years, after new car registrations rose in June by a modest 1.1 per cent to reach 179,263 units, according to new figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). As a result, so far in 2024, 1,006,763 new cars have been registered, up 6.0 per cent on the previous year but still down -20.7 per cent on 2019.
The UK new car market marked its 22nd consecutive month of growth as registrations rose 1.7 per cent in May, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). With 147,678 units reaching the road, it was the best May market performance since 2021, although it remains down some -19.6 per cent on 2019.
UK new car registrations grew for the 21st consecutive month in April, rising by a modest 1.0 per cent to reach 134,274 units, according to the latest data published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). As a result, this was the market’s best April since 2021, although uptake was still -16.6 per cent below the pre-pandemic level in what is traditionally a low volume month following the March plate change.
The UK new car market clocked up its 20th consecutive month of growth in March, with a 10.4 per cent rise in registrations. In what is typically the busiest month of the year due to the new number plate, 317,786 new cars reached the road with a 24 plate – the best March performance since 2019, although still -30.6 per cent below pre-pandemic levels.
In February, the EU experienced a surge in car sales, up by 10.1 per cent compared to last year, totalling 883,608 units. France and Italy led this growth with double digit increases (13 per cent and 12.8 per cent respectively), while Spain and Germany followed with solid single-digit growth (9.9 per cent and 5.4 per cent). Battery-electric cars maintained a stable market share of 12 per cent, with sales growing by 9 per cent to 106,187 units. Hybrid-electric cars saw a surge in sales by 24.7 per cent, totalling 255,511 units and capturing nearly 29 per cent of the market. Plug-in hybrid cars also experienced notable growth, now representing 7.3 per cent of the EU car sales.
The UK new car market has recorded its best February performance for two decades as registrations rose 14.0 per cent to 84,886 units, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
It was the 19th month of consecutive growth, which has primarily been driven by fleets investing in the latest vehicles. Indeed, fleets and businesses were responsible for the entirety of February’s increase, with registrations up 25.2 per cent and 15.5 per cent respectively. Private uptake continued to struggle, with a -2.6 per cent decline to record a 33.7 per cent market share. February is traditionally volatile as the lowest volume month of the year, with buyers often electing to wait until March and the new number plate.
January saw a return to growth in new passenger car registrations, according to the latest European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) figures. These followed a -3.3 per cent contraction in December. New car registrations in the EU witnessed an increase of 12.1 per cent year-on-year, reaching 851,690 units for January 2024. “It is positive to see a return to growth in the EU car market following the contraction experienced in December 2023, particularly with January traditionally being a slower month” said Sue Robinson, chief executive of the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), commenting on the figures.
Analysts at Deloitte have called on the government to increase efforts to support the transition to electric vehicles, after sales of EVs “plateaued’ at the end of 2023. Sounding a note of caution after otherwise positive figures for new car sales, Deloitte said the UK would need to incentivise battery electric vehicles in order to meet the 22 per cent market share target, while access to sufficient public chargepoints remains a concern. Jamie Hamilton, automotive partner and head of electric vehicles at Deloitte, said: “While consumers have continued to purchase new cars in what’s been a strong year of growth for the industry, sales of electric vehicles (EV) have been positive but started to plateau towards the end of the year.
The UK new car market has recorded its best year since the pandemic as a strong December, up 9.8 per cent, wrapped up the 17th month of consecutive growth. 1.903 million new cars reached the road during 2023 – an increase of 17.9 per cent, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
The UK new car market grew by 9.5 per cent in November to reach 156,525 units, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). In the market’s best November for four years, registrations almost returned to pre-pandemic levels, down just 96 units (-0.1 per cent) on 2019.
October’s new car market grew by 14.3 per cent to reach 153,529 registrations, 7.2 per cent above pre-pandemic levels and marking the best performance for the month since 2018, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The 15th month of consecutive growth was driven almost entirely by large fleet registrations, which grew 28.8 per cent to reach 87,479 units. Private demand was stable at 62,915 vehicles, a 0.3 per cent increase, while the much smaller business sector saw registrations fall -15.2 per cent to 3,135 units. With the sustained increase in new car registrations, overall vehicle uptake is now up 19.6 per cent in the first 10 months, with the market currently enjoying its best year since 2019.
The new car market grew 24.4 per cent in August with 85,657 new vehicles registered, according to the latest SMMT figures. While August is typically a quieter month with many buyers choosing to wait until the September number plate change, an increase of 16,799 units means the sector is now entering a second year of growth. Despite this improved performance, the market still remains -7.5 per cent below pre-pandemic levels. The increase was fuelled by a surge in registrations by large fleets, rising 58.4 per cent to 51,951 units, while business registrations grew 39.4 per cent to 1,635 units. Conversely, private demand softened by -8.1 per cent, compared with a supply-constrained 2022 market.
The new car market grew 25.8 per cent in June with 177,266 vehicles registered, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The June performance marks the 11th consecutive month of growth as the industry gradually overcomes the pandemic-induced supply chain shortages that constrained production for much of the previous two years. With waiting times easing and pent-up demand being met, the sector is a rare bright spot in a gloomy economic landscape even though overall market volumes remain below pre-pandemic levels.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
SMMT
Volkswagen
SMMT
SMMT
SMMT