Discounted business registrations meant Britain’s millionth battery electric car reached the road in January 2024, while the new car market grew 8.2% for the month, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. The first month of the year saw 142,876 new cars registered led by the Kia Sportage (above), which repeated its success of January 2022, and an UK uplift of 10,882 units on … [Read more...]
Best and worst cars to buy and own
When buying a new car, it’s always worth thinking about the potential resale value and how much it will depreciate over time. Some cars can prove to be very worthy investments, with their value increasing over time, while others may drop quickly in value as soon as they leave the forecourt. Elements such as age, condition, mileage and number of owners are all influencing factors, and there are … [Read more...]
Car makers want more EV incentives for private buyers
The UK new car market has recorded its best year since the pandemic as a strong December up 9.8%, wrapped up the 17th month of consecutive growth. Some 1.903 million new cars reached the road during 2023 – an increase of 17.9%, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. In Wales last year, registrations reached 66,761, a rise of nearly 16% over 2022 and … [Read more...]
Newslines 15 December
Looking for the ultimate Christmas gift for a car enthusiast and Auto Vivendi is selling places in its 200mph Challenge next year. Recipients get to drive a supercar in a high speed sprint for £2,950+VAT. The Lexus RX large luxury SUV has collected another honour, being named the Best Large SUV in The Car Expert Awards 2024. Its success comes hard on the heels of having won the best premium … [Read more...]
BEV charge is running down
The UK new car market grew by 9.5% in November to reach 156,525 units, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, but there's a slowdown in EV interest among private buyers. In the market’s best November for four years, registrations almost returned to pre-pandemic levels, down just 96 units (-0.1%) on 2019. Registrations in Wales rose 13.7% to 5,467 … [Read more...]
Fleet discounts driving slight rise in new car registrations
October’s new car market grew by 14.3% to reach 153,529 registrations, 7.2% above pre-pandemic levels and marking the best performance for the month since 2018, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. The 15th month of consecutive growth was driven almost entirely by large fleet registrations, which grew 28.8% to reach 87,479 units. Private demand was stable at 62,915 … [Read more...]
Newslines 17 October
Discount sales incentives are reeturning to the market as car supply improves but demand falls, reports What? Car. More manufacturers are moving to the direct sales sector and getting dealers to act as their agents to better control prices but rising costs have seen private sales falling and deals for business buyer have be very good to move stock, so hard bargaining is bringing about price … [Read more...]
KIA is king but Stellantis is hopeless, say traders
Kia is the best and Stellantis the worst brands to be selling, say car dealers. The NFDA Dealer Attitude Survey was conducted last month and asked franchised dealers questions about the on-going business relationship with their respective manufacturers. It brought 2,531 responses from 32 franchised networks, equating to a joint record response rate of 68%. The 2023 Summer Survey showed a general … [Read more...]
Getting more out of your electric car
There are over 810,000 fully electric cars now on UK roads, and many more will come this year. Some electric SUVs can go over 300 miles on a single charge, and now experts at Kia, who offer the Niro EV, as well as the EV9 due in 2024, have shared their tips to increase the range of an electric SUV. Here are five ways you can get even more energy efficiency from your electric SUV: Pre-heat … [Read more...]
Families turn backs on electric cars
The UK new car market grew 21.0% in September with 272,610 registrations in the month, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. The 14th consecutive month of growth was also the second busiest of the year after March, with the new number plate delivering its traditional market surge despite a challenging economic backdrop. Growth continued to be driven by large fleets, which … [Read more...]