According to the report from Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), UK new car registrations declined by -5.8% in August. Just over 87,000 vehicles were registered during what is traditionally the quietest month of the year for new car sales.

While registrations to private buyers held relatively steady, down by 699 units in the month, demand from businesses of all sizes was much more subdued, with 2,650 fewer new cars joining UK fleets, down -5.5% on August 2019. Demand also fell across all segments except superminis, with the biggest declines in demand seen in the mini (-64.2%) and specialist sports (-41.9%) categories.

Zero emission-capable vehicles enjoyed a bumper August as a result of new models coming to market, with sales of plug-in hybrids increasing by 221.1%, although they still only accounted for 1 in 30 sales. Registrations of battery electric cars increased by 77.6% in the month, accounting for 6.4%. However, they make up just 4.9% of registrations year to date, up from 1.1% in the same period last year – clearly illustrating the scale of the challenge ahead to reach the government target for EVs to comprise 70% of new car sales by 2030.

Overall, registrations remain down by -39.7% in the year to date, some 600,000 units behind this time in 2019, following coronavirus enforced lockdowns.