Year-on-year demand for new cars in the UK grew 1.2% in July, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
163,898 new cars were registered in the month as the market stabilised following “a turbulent six months”.
Alternatively fuelled vehicles enjoyed an uplift of 21%, with the market share of hybrids and plug-ins reached a record 6.5%, with plug-in hybrids up by 33.5%. Hybrid registrations grew 17.5% and battery electric cars were up 2.4%.
Diesel registrations fell a whopping 24.4% while petrol demand grew 20.1%.
Year to date, the market is down -5.5% as expected with demand levelling out. In the first seven months of the year, almost 1.5 million new cars were registered by consumers and businesses in the UK.
“The feel-good factor from a sun and sport-packed July, combined with some fantastic deals on a raft of exciting new models, clearly helped keep showrooms relatively busy last month,” said Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive. “It’s great to see alternatively fuelled vehicles benefiting from this growth, and government’s acknowledgement of the vital role new-tech diesel will play in its Road to Zero strategy should help more even more motorists benefit from the latest, safest and low emission technology over the coming months.”