Private demand for new diesel cars is growing faster than for pure battery electrics, new figures show.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said registrations of new diesel cars for private buyers in September grew by 17.1% compared with the same month in 2023, up 1,367 units.
That is compared with a 3.6% year-on-year rise for pure battery electrics - up 410 units - despite heavy discounting by manufacturers.
The SMMT said car makers are on course to “spend at least £2 billion on discounting electric vehicles (EVs)” this year in an effort to offset the “underlying paucity of demand”.
There was no specific breakdown of numbers for Northern Ireland, where sales of new vehicles in general continues to grow at an even greater percentage rate than the rest of the UK.
Latest figures show that 4,617 new cars were sold in the north in September, a 1.3% increase on the corresponding month last year (4,559).
In the nine months of this year, registrations in Northern Ireland are 8.5% up on 2023, with 39,197 sales versus 36,133 previously.
In the UK as a whole, monthly sales are up just 0.98% while they’re ahead 4.33% year-on-year.
The SMMT said September was a record month in terms of overall battery electric new car registration volumes, at 56,387 units.
SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: “September’s record EV performance is good news, but look under the bonnet and there are serious concerns as the market is not growing quickly enough to meet mandated targets.
“Despite manufacturers spending billions on both product and market support - support that the industry cannot sustain indefinitely - market weakness is putting environmental ambitions at risk and jeopardising future investment.”
The top 10 new car registrations in the north in September are:
1 Kia Sportage
2 Hyundai Tucson
3 Nissan Juke
4 Peugeot 3008
5 Ford Puma
6 Vauxhall Corsa
7 Volkswagen Tiguan
8 Volkswagen Polo
9 Volkswagen Golf
10 Nissan qashqai
