Good start to 182-plate buying as number of registrations steady

IT would appear that 182-reg car buying has got off to a good start, with registrations so far this month running at around the same level as last year.

Maybe the good weather is putting people in the mood to buy, but more likely it is the sweep of deals on offer in a competitive market. A lot of cars would have been prebooked, too.

One area steaming ahead, predictably, is the volume of second-hand UK imports.

They’re already 9pc up on the corresponding period and setting a blistering pace.

Car registrations for the year to date are trailing last year’s, but the good start to July seems to suggest there’s reasonable demand out there still.