UK car sales hit with biggest decline since 2009

The number of new cars sold in the UK has dropped for the first time since 2011 in the last year, according the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

SMMT has reported that there were approximately 2.5 million new cars registered in 2017, which is a drop of 5.6% on the previous year.

This figure was largely due to the significant fall in the sale of new diesel cars , which decreased by around 17% on the year and 31% last month alone.

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said that a lack of consumer and business confidence is to blame for the dip in sales and described 2017 as a “very, very volatile year.”

Hawes also pointed out that fall in diesel car sales is due to “underlying confusion” among consumers about whether purchasing these cars is “the right thing to do”.

However, Hawes also made sure to highlight that last year’s results followed two years of record sales.

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “We need to put it into context. This was still the third best year in a decade and the sixth best ever.”

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