04 October 2018

September new car registrations have fallen 20.5% on the same month last year thanks to WLTP emissions regulations which saw manufacturers push August instead of the new 68-plate month.

September’s new car total came to 338,834 this year, against last year’s total of 426,170. The decline, which was near equal in both retail and fleet registrations, puts the year-to-date figure for 2018 at 1.9 million new cars registered, down 7.5% on the 2.1m for the first nine months of 2017.

New emissions regulations have been blamed for the decline in September registrations as some manufacturers try to sell old stock under derogation rules and struggle to get hold of enough new WLTP compliant cars.

Commenting on the figures, an SMMT spokesman said: “September’s large decline follows an unusually high August and a turbulent first eight months of the year as the market responded to a raft of upheavals, from confusion over diesel policy to VED changes and, latterly, transition to the new WLTP emissions standards. Year-to-date performance is currently -7.5% behind 2017, reflecting these factors and a drop in business and consumer confidence. Over the coming months, however, some rebalancing is expected as an increasing range of new models are certified for sale and backlogs ease.”

Tags: New car registration, SMMT