Figures released today show that the surge of new vehicle sales is still gathering momentum. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders declared last month the strongest April for ten years, with over 185,000 dealer registrations on the books.
It’s the 38th consecutive month that ‘sales’ have been on the rise, with 2015 already tipped to surpass the post-recession high of 2014. 920,366 cars have been registered so far in 2015, over 55,000 more than this time last year. The figures include all registrations so cars registered by dealers but not sold to customers are counted.
April’s 5.1 per cent increase follows on from the 15-plate change in March, with diesels narrowly making up the bulk of sales despite petrol closing the gap. Fleet orders are on the rise too, with 7,500 more than private buyers comparing to around 2,200 more last year.
Alternative-fuel models, such as plug-in hybrids and full-electric cars, continue to gather popularity, with over 10,000 more sold than at April last year to bring the total up to 25,798. However, the crucial £5,000 government incentive for electric cars could be coming to an end this year, and is likely to have a dramatic effect.
As you’d expect Ford remains the overall winner in April, with the Fiesta topping the charts with over 1/3rd more sales than the next most popular, the Focus. Volkswagen’s Golf came third, with the Vauxhall Corsa narrowly out of the podium.
SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes fells that the result of today’s election will play a big part in the continuation of this surge:
“We are confident that the UK’s new car market – so symbolic of economic mood – will continue to thrive, but long-term success will depend largely on economic and political stability in the months and years ahead.”
Find out about the UK’s top 10 best selling cars of 2015 here…
