The UK’s new car market grew again in February, with the industry recording the 36th consecutive month of growth.
New figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reveal that a total of 76,958 new cars were registered in February, up by 12% on February last year.
The figures show that while private sales continue to do well, with 30,899 new cars registered last month alone, it is the fleet sector which is helpingd to drive the record growth, with sales up by 19% on February 2014.
Sales of alternatively fuelled vehicles, which includes plug-in hybrids and pure EVs, were up by 52.8% on last year, with 1852 cars registered last month.
The UK’s car market has been growing steadily since March 2012, far beating the previous period of record growth, set in the late 1980s.
SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: “Three years of continuous growth in the new car market is remarkable and reflects the strong upturn in the confidence of UK car buyers since the recession.
"Registrations of fleet and business cars have outpaced the private market in February, reflecting the increased business confidence across the UK. With most fleet car buyers on a three-year replacement cycle, many of those cars purchased at the beginning of the current growth period are now due for replacement.
“Over the course of 2015, however, we are expecting a more stable market to emerge given there has already been an extended period of consistent growth.”
UK’s best-selling cars in February 2015
Ford Fiesta 4096 units registered
Volkswagen Golf 3177
Vauxhall Corsa 2830
Vauxhall Astra 2396
Ford Focus 2021
Nissan Qashqai 1800
Vauxhall Insignia 1797
Audi A3 1609
Fiat 500 1436
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