Scottish car dealerships celebrating double digit rise in sales during May

● Figures outpace rest of the UK as dealers celebrate a bumper month

Scottish dealerships enjoyed a bumper May as new car sales north of the border significantly outstripped the UK market.

Accordingtofiguresreleased by the Scottish Motor Trade Association (SMTA), 15,833 cars were registered during the month, a rise of 13.7 per cent on 2017. Sandy Burgess, chief executive of the SMTA, said the figures was particularly impressive given the spell of good weather recently.

“There is no doubting that there has been a bit of a bounce in the activity levels across the SMTA membership sites throughout May,” said Burgess. “There may well be some recognition that the uncertainty around the Brexit negotiations and the potential for imported cars to increase as a result, means the deals that are on offer today around the showrooms are going to be hard to beat going forward”.

Fife saw the strongest year on year percentage growth figure with numbers almost doubling.

The largest volume increase of new cars was seen in Strathclyde with an additional 1,113 units being registered. Market leaders continue to be Ford followed by Vauxhall and Volkswagen.

Across the UK demand for new cars grew by 3.4 per cent during the month, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

The growth follows an 8.5 per cent decline in May last year when sales were hit by changes to Vehicle Excise Duty and buyer hesitancy ahead of the general election the following month.

Overall registrations are down 6.8 per cent this year compared with the first five months of last year.

Sales of petrol models increased by 23.5 per cent last month, while diesels fell for the 14th consecutive month, down 23.6 per cent. Demand for alternatively fuelled vehicles such as hybrids and pure electrics increased by 36.1 per cent to take a market share of 5.8 per cent.

SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said the figures suggest that the market is now starting to return to a “more natural running rate”.

He added: “To ensure longterm stability, we need to avoid any further disruption to the market, and this will require sustainable policies that give consumers and businesses the confidence to invest in the new cars that best suit their needs.”

James Fairclough, chief executive at AA Cars, said “After months of consecutive decline, the new car market is now starting to show the early signs of rejuvenation.”