New car sales leap again as recovery accelerates

New car sales rose by 13.4 per cent in June in the latest sign that the recovery is gathering pace.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said new sales increased to 214,957 in the month, up from 189,514 in June last year.

The largest contribution came from private car sales, up 21.3 per cent, while company car sales jumped by 6.1 per cent.

This was the 16th successive month in which total car sales have risen. In the first half of 2013 there have been 1,163,623 new car sales, up on the 1,057,680 shifted by this stage last year.

"While there are still potential challenges ahead, recent robust growth suggests that the market is on course to perform well ahead of 2012 levels," said Mike Baunton of the SMMT.

The SMMT said that buyers were switching to more fuel-efficient vehicles, which has reduced average new car carbon dioxide emissions by 3.7 per cent in the first half of 2013 on the same period of 2012.