Some 81,640 cars were registered last month, the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT) said, with Ford’s Fiesta retaining its position at the top of the sales chart.
Growth was driven by the fleet sector, which saw a 7.7 per cent rise. Private registrations fell by 0.2 per cent. Some 1.68 million cars have been registered in 2016 so far, up 2.8 per cent on the same period last year.
SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: “August is traditionally one of the quietest months as consumers look ahead to the September plate change, so growth, albeit small, is good news.”
Bosses said a decline of just over 3 per cent last month in Scotland was not as poor as had been feared. The figures north of the Border have been flagging the UK-wide result for some time now. September is said to be “looking strong” in Scotland with good deliveries made to date.