Vehicle manufacturer’s trade body, the SMMT have released figures showing that the UK new car market in January 2017 was up 2.9% year-on-year.

Registrations of alternatively fuelled vehicles grew 19.9% meaning they now account for a record 4.2% market share. At the same time registrations of diesel cars fell by 4.3%, while registrations of petrol cars grew 8.9%.

In terms of where buyers were coming from, private motorists led the growth, registering 76,729 new cars – up 5.0%. Fleet demand also grew marginally by 1.4%, while business registrations fell by -1.0%.

Commenting on the figures, Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said, “2017 got off to a good start in the new car market, buoyed by a great range of new models which are safer and cleaner than ever before. It’s encouraging to see alternatively fuelled vehicles benefiting from this positive growth, reaching a record market share. After record growth in 2016, some cooling is anticipated over the coming months, but provided interest rates remain low and the economy stable, the market is in a good position to withstand its short-term challenges.”