New car sales drop

TheUKnewcarmarketdeclined duringMayaheadoflastweek’s generalelection,withdemand falling by 8.5 per cent, according to figures from the SocietyofMotorManufacturers andTraders.

Some186,265newcarswere registered last month, with businesspurchasesdrivingthe market, up 20.1 per cent, to offsetdeclinesfromprivateand fleet buyers.

Although it dipped slightly in the previous month, the marketforalternativelyfuelled vehicles bounced back in May to continue the upward trend seen in the first quarter and takeanewrecordmarketshare of 4.4 per cent.

More than 8,000 AFVs were registered in the month, representing an increase of 46.7 per cent, and almost 50,000 new AFVs have joined Britain’s roads so far this year.

Despiteaslightdipinoverall registrations since January, more than 1.1 million new cars have been registered on UK roads so far in 2017.

Honda prides itself on engineering finesse and it’s pushing the boat out with the latest British-built Civic.

The tenth generation of Honda’s top seller in the UK is a radical take on the family hatchback scene and sees the Japanese brand joining the tiny turbo set.

An all-new 1.0-litre three cylinder petrol engine powers the cheapest version of the new Civic and it lacks for little.

Honda has split the new Civic line up into two distinct zones with the 1.0-litre engine powering the mainstream models and a 1.5-litre turbo used in sporty range toppers.

In reality there is little between them in everyday use but the 1.0-litre models are cheaper, priced from £18,475 – some £4,000 below the 1.5-litre Sport.

In top grade EX trim the Civic 1.0 turbo starts from £23,200 and for £1,400 more it is available with a CVT auto box that’s surprisingly – and pleasantly – sharp shifting.

That combination puts Honda out on its own – Ford offers 1.0-litre engines with conventional automatic