New UK car registrations FALL again in August – but only by a bit

New car registration fell in August, reversing July’s rise, but private sales held up well and, with August a low month anyway, it wasn’t too bad.

We’ve got used to precipitous drops in new car registrations in the UK since Covid hit – like the 97 per cent drop in April – and the car industry, like much of the UK, was forced to close up shop.

But last month, July, saw a semblance of normality return as car showrooms re-opened and pent-up demand saw new car registration rise for the first time in 2020.

But August has seen another drop in new car registrations with numbers dropping by 5.8 per cent to 87,226 compared to August 2019’s 92,573, although private sales were down by just 1.7 per cent.

The big winners in August’s figures were electrified cars, with BEVs recording a 77.6 per cent increase (5,589 registrations) and PHEVs a whopping 221 per cent, although both together still account for under 10 per cent of registrations.

Hybrid and mild hybrids also jumped as car makers use them to cut emissions, taking a 17 per cent market share, petrols dropped by 14.7 per cent, and diesels by a whopping 39.5 per cent for a market share of just 16.4 per cent, substantially less than the combined electrified sales.

Top of tghe new car registrations tree was the Ford Fiesta followed by the VW Golf, Ford Focus, Ford Puma and Vauxhall Corsa.

SMMT boss Mike Hawes said:

The decline is disappointing, following some brief optimism in July. However, given August is typically one the new car market’s quietest months, it’s important not to draw too many conclusions from these figures alone. With the all-important plate change month just around the corner, September is likely to provide a better barometer.