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The recovery of the UK’s new car market continued in June. Registrations rose 11.4% to reach 213,166 units in the best performance for the month since 2019, according to the latest figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
Growth was recorded across all sectors, with registrations by private buyers up 12.5%, fleet deliveries increasing by 10.5% and the smaller business segment posting a 17.1% rise. Fleets continued to comprise the lion’s share of the overall market, accounting for 59.5% of new cars registered.
The uplift was driven by EVs as the market continues to evolve, attributed in part to a wider choice of models and brands providing lower and zero emission mobility. Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) took 12.5% of the market, while hybrids (HEVs) accounted for 14%. Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) saw the most significant growth to take a 30% share – the highest so far this year.
Year to date, BEVs account for 25% of the market.
Meanwhile, UK new light commercial vehicle (LCV) registrations rose 12.2% in June to 31,602 units. The third consecutive month of growth lifted first half registrations by 1.7% to 158,648 units, reversing the decline recorded during the same period last year.
The June uplift was driven primarily by demand for larger vans. Registrations of vans weighing between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes increased 12.6% to 21,951 units in the month, while medium-sized vans rose 62.1% to 6,795 units. 4×4 registrations grew by 20.8%, but vans weighing less than 2.0 tonnes declined by -19.3%.
Read about recent changes to regulations on large electric vans: Key changes now in force for 4.25t electric vans.
Pickup demand continued to decline, falling -57.6% to 1,167 units and now representing just 3.7% of the total market, versus 9.8% a year ago.
Battery electric vehicle (BEV) registrations, meanwhile, rose for a third month, up 23.2% to take an 11.5% market share. The strong monthly performance contributed to a positive first half of the year for electric vans, with market share increasing from 8.6% to 9.9%.
