March new car registrations the highest in 10 years
Last month’s UK new car registrations reached levels not seen in a decade, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders reports. The month of March is typically the biggest month for registrations in the year, attracting around a fifth of all registrations, but this year demand for the new 14-plate drove new car registrations up 17.7 per cent year-on-year to 464,824, an amount not seen since March 2004, the only other occasion registrations have hit such heights since the twice-yearly plate change was implemented in 1999. Year to date registrations are up 13.7 per cent to 688,122 units. March was also the biggest-ever month for alternatively-fuelled vehicles, with volumes reaching 8,713 units, a growth of 63.8 per cent on 2013.