New cars are pictured at a car dealership, as Britain’s car industry body releases monthly new car sales figures, in Cheshire, Britain October 5, 2020 REUTERS
June 4 (Reuters) – Britain recorded its strongest May for new car registrations since 2019, with sales rising about 7% year-on-year on resilient private buyer demand, according to preliminary data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) on Thursday.
The share of battery electric vehicles rose to about 27% of the market last month, taking it to 24% year-to-date, according to the SMMT, but both remained short of the mandated 33% target.
Separate data from New Automotive showed on Wednesday new car sales rose about 6% year-on-year, driven by demand for plug-in vehicles.
SMMT and New Automotive use different data sources and calculation methods, explaining the differences in the figures.
The SMMT will publish the final figures for the month at 0800 GMT.
Reporting by Nithyashree R B in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber
