New Car Registrations UP in September – but still down by a third on pre-Covid

New car registrations in the UK in September 2022 rose by 4.6 per cent, but are still down by 34.4 per cent on pre-Covid numbers.

Last month (August 2022) saw the tiniest of rises in new car registrations in the UK, and now we get s second improvement in a row with figures for September – a big plate change month – growing again, this time by 4.6 per cent to 225,269.

It’s a welcome improvement for an industry still struggling with Covid and Chip hangovers, although it’s more than a third lower than September numbers were pre-Covid.

Registrations to private buyers actually fell by 3.6 per cent as the spectre of rising interest rates perhaps knocked confidence, but fleet registration rose by 12.5 per cent to deliver an overall increase in numbers.

Market share of ICE cars continues to fall – although petrol-engined cars still account for 40 per cent of registrations – with BEV registrations up by 16.5 per cent and PHEVs down by 11.5 per cent. That said, registrations of cars with a plug took a market share of 22.4 per cent, and BEVs passed the million mark in the UK.

Top of the registration pile in September was the Nissan Qashqai followed by the Tesla Model Y and VW Polo, and although the Vauxhall Corsa tops the list year to date, the Qashqai is just eight registrations behind.

SMMT boss Mike Hawes said:

The overall market remains weak, however, as supply chain issues continue to constrain model availability. Whilst the industry is working hard to address these issues, the long-term recovery of the market also depends on robust consumer confidence and economic stability.