UK new car registrations fall 24%

London – UK new car registrations fell 24.3% year-on-year in June to reach a total of 140,958 new vehicles, according to the latest figures released today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

This marks the weakest June performance since 1996, SMMT said in a statement 5 July.

Over the first six months of the year, new car registrations fell 11.9% to 802,079 units, maing it “the weakest first half year performance since 1992, bar 2020,” the association added.

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) continued their growth streak, with a 14.6% increase in volume, as market share continued to grow, reaching 16.1%, up from 10.7% a year before.

Conversely, plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) uptake fell by 4,425 units to take a 5.5% market share.

In total, plug-in vehicles comprised more than a fifth (21.6%) of new cars joining the road in the month.

All other powertrains saw declines in registration volumes and market share apart from hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), which, despite a 1,172-unit fall, increased their market share to 10.6%.

“The semiconductor shortage is stifling the new car market even more than last year’s lockdown,” said Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive.

Welcoming the growing demand for electric vehicles, Hawes said the increase was “not yet enough to offset weak overall volumes.”