Registrations of new cars fell by 10.4% last month, new figures show.
Industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said 120,331 new cars were registered in the UK in April.
That compares with 134,274 during the same month last year.
The SMMT attributed the decline to a number of factors, including changes to vehicle excise duty rules.
Electric vehicles lost their exemption to VED on April 1.
This caused many “shrewd” buyers to make their purchases before the deadline, the SMMT said.
The late timing of Easter this year also meant there were fewer working days in April compared with the same month in 2024.
Pure battery electric new cars reached a market share of 20.4% in April, up from 16.9% a year earlier.
This article was written by Neil Lancefield from The Independent and was legally licensed through the DiveMarketplace by Industry Dive. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.