Tenth consecutive month of new car sales growth for industry

“The positive momentum in new vehicle sales has continued with franchised dealers seeing strong growth across electric vehicles, hybrids and petrol vehicles. This is a trend we expect to continue through the summer months.” said Sue Robinson, Chief Executive of the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), which represents franchised car and commercial vehicle retailers in the UK commenting on the latest SMMT’s new passenger car registration figures.

In May, a total of 145,204 new cars were registered, an increase of 16.7% from the same period last year. Sales to private buyers fell by 0.5%; fleet registrations were up by 36.9%.

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) experienced significant growth, up 58.7% to 24,513 units. Plug-in hybrid (PHEVs) registrations increased by 23% to 9,025 units, and hybrids (HEVs) followed with growth of 22.2% to 17,792 units. There are now 121,268 registered BEVs on the road in 2023 compared to the 92,512 at the same point last year, a 31.1% increase.

With sales of electric growing, diesel fell from 7,614 units to 5,758 (-24.4%), but petrol has risen from 56,767 units to 59,766 units (5.3%).

Sue Robinson added: “Charging infrastructure across the UK remains the main issue on the showroom floor when Electric Vehicle Approved (“EVA”) dealers are advising customers on their next choice of vehicle. NFDA is working closely with government and other automotive bodies to ensure that UK consumer’s concerns about EVs are being addressed and we are confident that our members will help the UK to achieve the transition.”

*Article Source www.rmif.co.uk