According to figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), new car registrations in April were the highest they’ve been since 2003, when 194,312 new vehicles were sold.
Registrations of petrol cars increased by 3.4 per cent last month, while diesel saw a slight 0.6 per cent decline.
Following the trend set in the first three months of the year, uptake of alternative fuel vehicles jumped by more than a quarter as buyers looked to reduce emissions and running costs.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive said: “After such a strong March, April’s steadier performance was to be anticipated, and is in line with our expectations for the year.
“Consumer confidence remains high as buyers continue to capitalise on attractive finance deals, although this could be affected by political and economic uncertainty in the coming months.”
April’s performance puts registrations for 2016 to date 4.4 per cent up on the same period last year.
It follows a bumper March in which more than 518,000 cars were registered – the second-biggest month on record.
Demand for cars has been running at a high level, after 43 consecutive months of growth in the market led to an all-time high of 2.63 million car registrations in 2015.