New car registrations JUMPED 23.5% in November

New car registrations in the UK grew by 23.5 per cent in November, driven mainly by a big jump in fleet registrations of 45.4 per cent.

Car makers are still struggling with a Covid hangover causing problems with supply chains, but that hasn’t stopped new car registrations from growing in the last three months. And now we get the biggest jump in new car registrations this year with November’s rise of 23.5 per cent, making four months of growth in a row.

That said, new car registrations are still down 3.4 per cent year-on-year – and a big chunk down on pre-Covid levels – but it’s still good news.

The big driver for the jump in numbers is the pick-up in registrations by fleet owners, rising a whopping 45.4 per cent on last year.

That jump in fleet numbers is also reflected in the jump in registrations for cars with a plug as BIK tax breaks for electric cars drive demand, with PHEVs and EVs taking 27.7 per cent of new car registrations.

The top seller for November was the Nissan Qashqai (for the second month in a row) followed by the Tesla Model Y, with the rest of the top ten comprising MINI, Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Corsa, VW Golf, Ford Puma, VW T-Roc, VW Polo and Toyota Yaris

Mike Hawes, SMMT boss, said:

Recovery for Britain’s new car market is back within our grasp, energised by electrified vehicles and the sector’s resilience in the face of supply and economic challenges. As the sector looks to ensure that growth is sustainable for the long term, urgent measures are required – not least a fair approach to driving EV adoption that recognises these vehicles remain more expensive, and measures to compel investment in a charging network that is built ahead of need.