Old for new as UK car industry continues to grow

The latest new car registration figures show that the UK car industry is still going from strength to strength.

The Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) announced today that new car registrations in July have risen by 3.2% over the same period last year and marks the 41st month of continuous growth with big rises in the Super Mini and SUV segments. This follows last month’s announcement that the UK saw the highest half-year number of new registrations on record with 1,376,889 new cars being registered between January to June 2015.

At Kwik Fit, we anticipate that this trend will continue to build, with over four million people saying that they intend to buy a brand new car over the next 12 months. Our latest research reveals 743,000 of those purchasing a new car in this period do not currently own a car and 731,000 will become a ‘second-car buyer’.

The needs of today’s new car buyers are changing and alongside the growing economy (allowing for more financial mobility), we are seeing a growing number of people replacing their existing car, simply because their current vehicle no longer suits their needs. Over one million of these drivers say they will be replacing an older unreliable model with a brand new vehicle.

These findings, along with the today’s figures from the SMMT highlight the fact that for many people, a new car is still a very attractive purchase.

Top 10 new car purchases in the UK year to date (Jan–Jul 2015)

1. Ford Fiesta – 80,494 units sold 
2. Vauxhall Corsa – 55,011 units sold
3. Ford Focus – 52,122 units sold
4. Volkswagen Golf – 43,141 units sold
5. Nissan Qashqai – 38,390 units sold
6. Vauxhall Astra – 33,153 units sold
7. Volkswagen Polo – 32,600 units sold
8. Audi A3 – 29,496 units sold
9. Mercedes C Class – 27,544 units sold
10. Fiat 500 – 25,815 units sold