Business

Northern Ireland tops whole UK for new car registrations in April

Uplift is driven by electric and hybrid vehicle sales, industry body SMMT says

New car sales in Northern Ireland rose by nearly 20 per cent in July, according to industry body SMMT
New car sales in Northern Ireland rose by more than 11% in April, outperforming the rest of the UK, according to industry body SMMT
By Gary McDonald

Northern Ireland was the UK’s best-performing region for new car registrations in April, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Some 3,815 new cars were registered over the month, which represented an 11.16% increase on the same month last year (when 3,432 vehicles drove away from showrooms).

By contrast, the overall UK market nudged up over the month by less than 1%.

And in the year to date, 18,565 cars have been registered in Northern Ireland, compare to 16,750 at the same stage of 2023.

That’s an uplift of nearly 11%, while the overall UK market has risen by just 8.4% in the same period.

The Ford Puma was the north’s best-selling new car, with 639 models registered in April.

The Puma helped Ford to return to the top spot in 2023. (Ford)
The Ford Puma was the north’s best-selling new car in April, SMMT figures show

For the UK as a whole, it was the 21st consecutive month of car sales growth in April, the figure rising marginally to 134,272, driven mainly by an uptick of electric and hybrid vehicle sales.

The SMMT said it was the market’s best April since 2021, although uptake was still 16.6% below the pre-pandemic level in what is traditionally a low-volume month.

The growth was driven by fleets, where registrations rose by 18.5% to reach 81,207 units – more than six in 10 of all new cars registered in April. Private buyer uptake fell by 17.7% to 50,458 units, while business registrations declined by 16.1%, to 2,609.

SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: “The new car market continues to grow even in the quieter months, driven primarily by fleet demand.

Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) (Geoff Caddick/PA)
Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT)

“This is particularly true of the electric vehicle sector, where the absence of government incentives for private buyers is having a marked effect.

“Although attractive deals on EVs are in place, manufacturers cannot fund the mass market transition single-handedly.”

He added: “Temporarily cutting VAT, treating EVs as fiscally mainstream not luxury vehicles, and taking steps to instil consumer confidence in the chargepoint network will drive the market growth on which the UK’s net zero ambition depends.”

  • The top 10 new car registrations in Northern Ireland during April were:
  1. Ford Puma
  2. Hyundai Tucson
  3. Nissan Qashqai
  4. Kia Sportage
  5. Peugeot 2008
  6. Vauxhall Corsa
  7. Renault Captur
  8. Volkswagen T-Roc
  9. Volkswagen Golf
  10. Hyundai Kona