New car sales in the UK grow again in September

UK new car sales rose on an annual basis for the second month in a row in September, driven by further growth in the electric vehicle (EV) market.

New car sales, represented by new car registrations, increased by 4.6pc on the year to 225,269 units, according to figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

September is typically the second-busiest month of the year for the sector because of the registration plate change, but despite the year-on-year increase, sales are still 34.4pc below pre-pandemic levels in September 2019 as the industry continues to combat issues constraining supply.

"September has seen Britain's millionth electric car reach the road — an important milestone in the shift to zero emission mobility," SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said.

"Battery EVs make up but a small fraction of cars on the road, so we need to ensure every lever is pulled to encourage motorists to make the shift if our green goals are to be met."

Rising EV sales led to the overall increase in September as petrol and diesel car sales fell on the year. September marked the second-highest ever monthly sales of battery EVs (BEVs) with 38,116 units sold, up by 16.5pc on the year. BEV sales in March 2022 stood at 39,315 units.

Sales of hybrid EVs (HEVs) also rose by 16.5pc on the year in September with 29,088 units sold. Plug-in hybrid EVs (PHEV) registrations fell by 11.5pc year on year to 13,885 units.

The market share of new BEV, PHEV and HEV sales in September stood at 35.3pc, up by 2.1 percentage points on the year. Diesel and petrol vehicles made up 45.3pc of new car sales in September, and mild hybrids the remaining 19.4pc.

In the first nine months of the year, total UK new car sales have fallen by 8.2pc on the year to 1.21mn units.

By Corey Aunger