The UK’s new car market grew for the second consecutive month in June, as registrations rose 6.7% to 191,316 units.
It was the best June since 2019, helping lift first half performance 3.5% above the same period last year, although the market remains -17.9% behind pre-Covid levels.
Battery electric car demand rises 39.1% to 47,354 units with one in four buyers going electric – but still below mandated levels.
Despite a positive June performance, it too remained behind pre-pandemic levels, -14.4% lower than in 2019, and driven mostly by fleet activity with uptake climbing 8.5% to 114,841 units.2
Private retail demand grew 5.9% to 71,616 units but still accounted for just less than four in 10 new cars registered (37.4%). Business registrations fell -15.8% to 4,859 units. New petrol registrations declined -4.2% and diesel volumes were flat (+0.2%).
In the first half of the year private sales are up 5%, fleet sales are up 2.8% and the relatively small business sector is up 3%.
New BEV registrations have risen 34.6% to 224,841 units but, at 21.6% market share, they remain significantly behind the 28% mandated for this year.
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said, “A second consecutive month of growth for the new car market is good news, as is the positive performance of EVs.
That EV growth, however, is still being driven by substantial industry support with manufacturers using every channel and unsustainable discounting to drive activity, yet it remains below mandated levels.
“As we have seen in other countries, government incentives can supercharge the market transition, without which the climate change ambitions we all share will be under threat.”