Vehicle manufacturers trade body, the SMMT have released figures for November 2016 showing that 184,101 new cars were registered in the UK in the month, a rise of 2.9% on the same month in 2015.

Continuing the trend seen since the Brexit vote in June, registrations to private buyers were down, this time by 1.2%, while fleet registrations made up the shortfall and now account for more than half of the market.

Registrations of alternatively fuelled vehicles such as electric and hybrids was up 25.1% to 6,663 units, meaning they now account for 3.6% of the market – the highest ever achieved. Petrol registrations grew 7.9% to 88,541 units, while diesels just edged ahead on market share with 88,897 vehicles registered, a fall of -2.9%.

Superminis continued to be the most popular body style – making up more than a quarter (29.7%) of all cars registered in November, followed by small family cars and SUVs. Executive and city cars enjoyed the biggest growth, up 27.7% and 25% respectively.

Commenting on the figures, Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said, “Our industry continues to make vehicles that are ever safer, more refined, more efficient and more enjoyable to drive – and the latest advanced technology and cutting-edge designs are continuing to attract buyers into showrooms. It’s encouraging to see that alternatively fuelled vehicles, although still a small proportion of the market, have seen strong growth this month achieving a record market share. Long-term government support and incentives are essential if these vehicles are to command a larger market share in the future.”