The number of new cars registered across Europe increased by 5.6% in July and 2.1% in August, creating 12 consecutive months of growth.
According to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, this year 8,336,159 cars have been registered in Europe, marking an increase of 6% over last year for the same period.
Growth has been seen across all major markets so far this year, although it has predominantly been led by Spain (16.4%) and the UK (10.1%). France, Germany and Italy saw growth of 1.6%, 2.6% and 3.5% respectively.
The UK posted its 30th consecutive month of growth in August, and accounts for nearly a fifth of all European registrations so far in 2014 — with 1,532,355 new cars registered.
Growing consumer confidence and attractive finance deals have helped to sustain growth in the UK’s new-car market, which is expected to see 2.45 million vehicles registered by the end of the year — an increase of 8.1% on 2013.