UK car sales up 11% in May (2013)

The Ford Fiesta (pictured) was again the best selling car in the UK

The rise of car sales in the UK continues, with new car registrations up 11 per cent in May 2013 driven by private sales.

The rise and rise of new car registrations in the UK continues to defy the rest of the economy, with figures up in May 2013 by 11 per cent year on year, and private sales up a massive 20.9 per cent to levels last seen in 2007.

It’s the fifteenth month in succession new car registration have risen in the UK, with sales for May at 180,111 and total sales to date in 2013 hitting almost 1 million units, at 948,666.

The SMMT think the big jump in private registrations is down to a number of factors, including cars bought under the scrappage scheme now being traded in for a new car, strong incentives from car makers and the promise of new cars offering lower running costs, and they’re probably right, although there are other factors in play too.

Top of the sales tree in May, once again, was the Ford Fiesta with sales of 9316, followed by the Ford Focus on 7522, pushing the Vauxhall Corsa down in to third place.

If sales continue at this pace, UK new car registrations in 2013 will easily exceed 2 million units.