New car sales up again in October (2013). Should hit 2.25 million by year end

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has revised it estimate for 2013 car sales to 2.25 million after October’s sales hit 157,314.

The Ford Fiesta (pictured) tops the UK new car list in October

It’s another growing month for car sales in the UK, with SMMT reporting that new car sales in the UK for October 2013 rose by 4 per cent to 157,314 and registrations for 2013 so far up 10.2 per cent to 1,952,238.

This is the 20th month in a row that new car registrations have increased, forcing the SMMT to increase its forecast for total 2013 sales to 2.25 million.

Topping the sales charts is once again the Ford Fiesta which sold 8,574 – 65 per cent more than the Vauxhall Corsa in second place.

The list is a familiar one, with the Ford Focus taking third place and the usual selection of popular cars – like the VW Golf, Nissan Qashqai (despite a new version about to launch) and the Fiat 500 all selling well.

Growth is being driven strongly by the private sector where sales have increased by 4.5 per cent in October and an impressive 15.7 per cent over the year to date.

But the massive growth we’ve seen in UK car registrations – now sales are almost back to pre-recession levels – is expected to stabilize in 2014 with growth of around 1 per cent expected.