Young Driver
New car registrations fall in April
Mon, 08 May 2006
Figures from April show that the number of new cars registered in the UK fell by nearly ten per cent compared with the same time last year.
Research by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) found that in April a total of 163,216 cars were registered, down significantly from March.
"March was a better than expected months for the new car market, which has not followed through into April," said Christopher Macgowan, chief executive of SMMT, who blamed high fuel prices and other rising motoring costs for the drop in new car sales.
"Consumer confidence has suffered across all sectors of the economy in recent months, and new car buyers may well have been affected by the breaching of petrol's £1 per litre barrier in some areas," he added.
New drivers already face high motoring costs, with higher premiums for young driver car insurance the norm, along with road tax and MOT expenses.
Continually rising fuel prices is likely to make the prospect of buying a new car all the more unattractive, and the price at the pumps shows no sign of abating.
© Adfero Ltd
