Demand for electric vehicles helped drive a 4.6 percent rise in Britain’s new-car registrations in September, according to industry data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
The SMMT said registrations during the month rose to 225,269 units from 215,312 units a year earlier, but still remained 34 percent below pre-pandemic levels.
The auto market has been reeling from a cost-of-living squeeze in Britain and the impact of persisting chip shortages across the globe.
“The overall market remains weak, however, as supply chain issues continue to constrain model availability,” SMMT CEO Mike Hawes said.
“Whilst the industry is working hard to address these issues, the long-term recovery of the market also depends on robust consumer confidence and economic stability,” Hawes added.
Monthly volume of full-electric vehicle registrations rose 17 percent to 38,116 in September, although SMMT sees slower growth for the segment compared with the start of the year.
Through September, overall registrations fell 8.2 percent to 1.2 million in the UK.