New car market declines for first time in years

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Registrations of new pure battery electric vehicles rose 10.8% year on year, which the SMMT attributed to “heavy discounting by manufacturers over the summer and a raft of new models attracting buyers”. open image in gallery Bar chart showing UK sales of new cars over the years with the current figure 84,575 The overall new car market grew by 5.1% during the first eight months of the year compared with the same period in 2023. “Encouraging a mass market shift to EVs remains a challenge, however, and urgent action must be taken to help buyers overcome affordability issues and concerns about charge point provision.” Ian Plummer, commercial director at online vehicle marketplace Auto Trader, said: “UK registrations were sluggish overall in August as buyers historically hold fire for September’s plate changes. “Heavy discounting from manufacturers helped drive the electric share of new car leads on Auto Trader to 27%, the highest market share since the end of 2022.