In September, 328,041 cars were registered in the United Kingdom. Compared to the same month last year, this is a decrease of 4.4 percent, but all in all it is the weakest month of September since 1999. The uncertainty surrounding the corona virus and Brexit is the biggest culprit.
The average number of license plate registrations in September in the United Kingdom is normally 390,000. This means that the current number of 328,041 is around 15.8% lower. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the British equivalent of the Bovag, the near-term outlook is rather bleak. This is mainly due to the low confidence of consumers and companies in the economy. Brexit and the coronavirus are the biggest factors behind this. In July, the British car market recovered slightly, but the SMMT still expects a market decline of 30.6 percent in 2020 compared to last year. Currently it is 33.2%. In the first seven months of this year, the percentage was still 41.9%, so the market has been able to catch up.
The best-selling car in September is the Vauxhall Corsa with 10,553 units. The Ford Fiesta rubs relatively close to that with 9,545 copies. With 8,085 copies, the Mercedes-Benz A-Class can take third place on the podium. The Ford Fiesta still remains the top seller of the year with 39,436 copies. The second and third place in this list are filled by the Vauxhall Corsa and the Volkswagen Golf. The Volvo XC40 and Ford Puma do appear in the top 10 of September, but were not sold enough during the year to get a place on that list.
Cars with a petrol engine had a market share of 53.8 percent in September 2020. But compared to September last year, a number of important changes are visible. The number of EVs sold has increased from 7,704 to 21,903 units, increasing the market share from 2.2 to 6.7 percent. In addition, plug-in hybrids and cars with a mild hybrid powertrain also get a bigger piece of the pie. Diesel has become less popular in the United Kingdom, with a market share of 14.3 percent, a decrease of 7.9 percent from 2019.