New car registrations grew by 6.7 per cent last month as the industry experienced its best June since 2019.
In total, 191,316 units were registered during June, according to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
That represented the best June since 2019 and helped to deliver a first-half performance up 3.5 per cent against the same period last year 鈥 though the market remains 17.9 per cent down on pre-pandemic levels. June鈥檚 registrations were still down on pre-pandemic levels despite the uptick.
Registrations of electric vehicles continued their upward trend, with 47,354 units shifted, representing an increase of 39.1 per cent. In contrast, the registration of new petrol cars fell by 4.2 per cent, while those of diesel vehicles remained largely flat with a small 0.2 per cent increase. The registration of plug-in hybrid vehicles grew 28.2 per cent, too, while those of regular hybrids fell by 8.5 per cent.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: 鈥淎 second consecutive month of growth for the new car market is good news, as is the positive performance of EVs. That EV growth, however, is still being driven by substantial industry support with manufacturers using every channel and unsustainable discounting to drive activity, yet it remains below mandated levels.
鈥淎s we have seen in other countries, government incentives can supercharge the market transition, without which the climate change ambitions we all share will be under threat.鈥