New car sales accelerate by 2.4% in Scotland

The number of new cars sold in Scotland picked up speed last month, with UK-wide growth also stable, according to new data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Ford's Fiesta maintained its position as Scotland's best-selling car last month. Picture: Contributed

The SMMT found that registrations reached 16,748 north of the Border, up by 2.4 per cent from May 2015. That compares with a year-on-year decline of about 5 per cent the previous month.

The best-selling model in Scotland was again the Ford Fiesta, while the Vauxhall Corsa returned to the top ten having fallen to 11th place in April.

For the UK, 203,585 vehicles registered, a year-on-year jump of 2.5 per cent and hitting the highest May total since 2002, driven by an 8.8 per cent jump in fleet registrations.

Mike Hawes, the trade body’s chief executive, said: “The new car market in May remained high with compelling offers available on the latest vehicles, but the low growth is further evidence of the market cooling in the face of concerns around economic and political stability.”

Howard Archer of IHS Global Insight said that while UK sales were “pretty resilient” in May, “the growth rate has noticeably slowed over the past couple of months”.

SCOTLAND’S BEST-SELLING CARS IN MAY

1. Ford Fiesta – 584

2. Vauxhall Corsa – 483

3. Ford Focus – 437

4. Vauxhall Astra – 426

5. Volkswagen Golf – 417

6. Vauxhall Mokka – 386

7. Volkswagen Polo – 362

8. Dacia Sandero – 361

9. Renault Captur – 356

10. Renault Clio – 338