New Car Sales Increase Again
Published Date: 15th Oct 2009
New Car Sales Increase Again in UK and A New Car Can Work out Cheaper than a Nearly New One
New car registrations rose for the third consecutive month in September as the government's car-scrapping scheme continued to bolster sales.
Registrations - a measure of new car sales - rose 11.4% on the year in September to 367,929 vehicles, compared with a 6% rise in August and a 2.4% rise in July, according to data from the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
Andrew Saunders, Sales Director of UK Car Discount, said "We experienced a good month in September, and this has been a rising trend over the last few months. New online car sales have been rising in particular over the past three years underlining the shift in customer preference for buying cars online nowadays. It's starting to get as common as people buying holidays and other high-price items online. If we look at other established retail markets this shift was inevitable, and we're in a great place to take advantage of it."
The latest figures from car manufacturers suggest the car scrappage scheme has been a success. On Tuesday, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reported that 367,929 new cars were registered in September, an 11.3% increase on the previous year.
The government's car scrappage scheme has meant some popular models can be bought more cheaply new than when they are up to a year old.
The editor of What Car motoring magazine, Steve Fowler, said: "It's a bizarre market this year: new car prices have already risen by 9.5%, but used car prices are an astonishing 30% higher than they were a year ago."
The magazine found that a used VW Golf 1.6 TDI S with 200 miles on the clock was selling for £16,200, while under the scrappage scheme the same vehicle could be bought new for £12,430.
What Car? said even motorists who could not take advantage of the scrappage scheme should consider buying new cars because in many cases the difference in price was less than £2,000.
Used car prices are still rising and What Car? recently reported that popular models such as the Fiat 500, Hyundai i10 and Volkswagen Golf can all be purchased new under the scrappage scheme for less than a used version that's up to a year old.
When looking at new vs nearly new car prices on the Parkers website, UK Car Discount offered cheaper prices for a new car in many cases, and more often than not, prices were comparable.
Just a few examples are noted below:
Audi A3 Hatchback 2.0TDi S-Line 3 door
New on UK Car Discount site - £17,935
2008/08 plate on Parkers - £21,999
You would save £4,064
Vauxhall Corsa 1.6T 16v SRi 3 door
New on UK Car Discount site - £12,964
2008/08 plate on Parkers - £12,900
Very little difference for a brand new car!
Renualt Megane 1.5 DCi 106 Expression 3 door
New on UK Car Discount site - £13,520
2009/09 plate on Parkers - £15,995
You would save £2,475