The UK new car market grew by 24% to 149,247 registrations in April, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
Growth to fleets was up 26.8% to 90,462 registrations, while private retail deliveries grew 20.2% to 56,116 and sales to the smaller business sector rose 15% to 2,669.
Demand for petrol cars rose 8.2%, while diesel registrations fell one per cent.
However, electrified cars accounted for more than half (53.2%) of the market for the second month this year. Plug-in hybrid (PHEV) registrations rose 46.4% to take a 13.8% market share, while hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) increased 18.8%, securing 13.2% of new registrations.
The SMMT has also reported that April also saw the two millionth battery electric car registered (2,012,758), with electrics claiming a 26.2% share of registrations in the month.
Looking ahead, new car registrations are expected to rise 3.6% to 2.093 million, up from January’s 2.048 million outlook, rising again in 2027 to 2.121 million units.
Natural demand
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “April’s rebound is welcome, but underlines just how significantly fiscal changes can influence the market. Two million electric car registrations is a considerable milestone to celebrate, although natural demand is still well below the level demanded by the mandate.
“The mounting cost of compliance threatens to limit consumer choice, overall decarbonisation and the sector’s competitiveness so the need for a rapid review of the transition to align policy with market realities is unchanged, else Britain’s attractiveness as a vehicle market and manufacturing hub will be put at risk.”
