New car market shrinks, but EVs reach record share for the year

SMMT: Newly announced Electric Car Grant helped drive battery electric car share to 26.5%

UK new car registrations declined by -2.0% in August to 82,908 units, during what is normally the quietest month of the year – generally accounting for less than 5% of annual deliveries ahead of September’s number plate change.

Fleet uptake dominated the month, accounting for 59.1% of all new vehicles reaching the road despite a -4.6% reduction in volumes. Uptake by private buyers grew by a marginal 0.7% while the business sector rose 41.6%, although this equated to fewer than 500...