September 2014 has been the best September for a decade for new car sales, although March 2014 was even higher.
The new 10 year record for September new car sales comes for a number of reasons:
- improving UK economy and confidenence
- attraction of more fuel efficient cars
- attraction of new cars with lower CO2 emmissions and lower road tax costs
- good deals on new cars from key manufacturers
- buyers fixing low finance deals now for fear of higher interest rates coming
We posted a blog update earlier this week about the strain on the .Gov road tax web page and long delays in purchasing road tax online. That is from 1 October 2014 so the trend may well be contining into October.
The SMMT predict the new car market cooling slightly going forward.
Best Selling Car Models September 2014
The best selling cars in September 2014 according to the SMMT were:
- Ford Fiesta - 23,266
- Ford Focus - 13,508
- Volkswagen Golf - 13,011
- Vauhall Corsa - 12,506
- Volkswagen Polo - 10,312
- Fiat 500 - 9,122
- Vauxhall Astra - 8,861
- Audi - A3 - 7,317
- Peugeot 208 - 6,968
- Nissan Qashqai - 6,847
The Ford Fiesta is regularly at the top of the UKs best selling car models, and there is no change in September 2014.
Best Selling Cars 2014 January To September (Year To Date)
The best selling cars in 2014 to date are:
- Ford Fiesta - 106,930
- Ford Focus - 67,015
- Vauhall Corsa - 62,693
- Volkswagen Golf - 58,664
- Vauxhall Astra - 47,482
- Nissan Qashqai - 38,920
- Volkswagen Polo - 36,772
- Audi - A3 - 35,596
- Fiat 500 - 35,032
- BMW 3 Series - 29,655
Best Selling Cars By Manufacturer 2014 up to September 2014
The above broken down by car manaufacturer would be as follows:
This makes Ford the car manufacturer with the highest number of new cars registered in the UK for September 2014, and the start of the 64 plate registrations, with Volksgagen coming second even if you count Volkswagen and Audi together as a single manufacturer.
425,861 new cars registered in the key month of September, a rise of 5.6% and the biggest September since 2004.
New ‘64’ numberplate boosts volumes, with September marking the 31st consecutive month of growth in the new car market.
Registrations for the year-to-date reach 1,958,196 – up 9.1% on January-September 2013.
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said, “September’s strong performance underlined the continuing robustness of the UK new car market, particularly in the context of last September’s bumper volumes.
“Demand for the new 64-plate has been boosted by intensifying confidence in the UK economy, with consumers attracted by a wide range of exciting, increasingly fuel-efficient, new cars. In the months since March – which saw an 18% jump in registrations – the growth has shown signs of levelling off as the market starts to find its natural running rate.”
The growth in new car sales in the UK has continued at such a rate setting new records for growth in the UK car market beating previous records for continous growth last set in the 1980s.