Commentary | New Car Registrations July 2026
The new car market looks well on course for its best year since 2019 as strong competition between manufacturers helps improve affordability and pull consumers back into the market. The Gulf conflict has focused the minds of car buyers on lower cost motoring options, so demand remains particularly strong for electrified vehicles. For the first time, one in every two new car enquiries on Autotrader in July went to a plug-in car, showing that they are now a mainstream choice for UK car buyers. On Autotrader our new car enquiries, a strong indicator of future orders and registrations, are up by almost a third year-on-year. That’s a positive sign, so we expect the market to maintain its momentum through the second half of the year, potentially generating double-digit growth.
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