Car selling rate tops 2.63m

New car sales in Britain have reached an annual selling rate of 2.63m in the third quarter of this year, according to DVLA licensing data analysed by R. L. Polk and Company. Although carmaker market shares were little changed from a year-earlier, market leader Ford's slice has dipped from 17.4 to 14.7 per cent in the 12 months to September.

The DVLA figures – which are higher than the SMMT returns because they include 'unofficial' imports – also hint at a downturn in grey and parallel imports.

Says a Polk spokesman: “The main cause is likely to be the increasing affordability of new cars from UK dealers, that has led to the UK's new car sales boom outlasting many forecasters' expectations.”