The figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers (SMMT) show that 177,664 new cars were registered in October, with diesel car registrations down by 2.1 per cent compared with a 0.9 per cent drop for petrol cars.
Mike Hawes, chief executive of the SMMT, said: “The UK car market has gone through a period of unprecedented growth and, so far, 2015 has been a bumper year with the strongest performance since the recession.”
He explained that the scandal may have prompted caution among consumers but remained upbeat for the remainder of the year saying the “current full-year growth forecast remains on track.”
Volkswagen suffered a 10 per cent drop in sales compared to October 2014, SEAT and Skoda report 32.2 and 3.0 per cent declines, likely due to the VW emissions scandal.
