April sees record 97.3% fall in new car sales due to showroom shutdown

UK new car registrations declined -97.3% in April, according to figures by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). This marked a record low for the new car market as the coronavirus pandemic forced showrooms to close and people to stay at home.

Just 4,321 new cars were registered in the month, some 156,743 fewer than in April 2019, with many delivered to key workers and front line public services and companies. The decline is in line with similar falls across Europe, with France -88.8% down and the Italian market falling -97.5% in April.

Fleet orders represented most of the market, taking 71.5% market share, equivalent to 3,090 units, while private buyers registered just 871 cars – a year on year fall of –98.7%. The distortion was reflected across all segments and fuel types, with the numbers of new petrol and diesel cars joining UK roads down -98.5% and -97.6% respectively, as plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) declined -95.1% and hybrids (HEVs) -99.3%. Meanwhile, the niche battery electric vehicles sector saw a smaller percentage decrease of -9.7%, as some pre-ordered deliveries of the latest premium models were able to be fulfilled.

Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said: "With the UK’s showrooms closed for the whole of April, the market’s worst performance in living memory is hardly surprising. These figures, however, still make for exceptionally grim reading, not least for the hundreds of thousands of people whose livelihoods depend on the sector. A strong new car market supports a healthy economy and as Britain starts to plan for recovery, we need car retail to be in the vanguard. Safely restarting this most critical sector and revitalising what will, inevitably, be subdued demand will be key to unlocking manufacturing and accelerating the UK’s economic regeneration."