New car sales last month were down around 13% on the pre-pandemic April average, preliminary figures show.
Around 141,000 new cars were registered in the UK in April, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said.
That is approximately a 30-fold increase on the same month in 2020, when the country was in a full coronavirus lockdown.
But it is about 13% lower than the April average between 2010 and 2019.
Final figures will be released by the SMMT at 9am.
Dealerships were allowed to reopen across the UK last month after more than three months of closure.
Jim Holder, editorial director of magazine and website What Car?, said the coming months will be “critical” to the automotive industry’s recovery from the pandemic.
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The FTSE 100 index shrugged off global market nerves over fears of higher interest rates sparket by a speech from Janet Yellen in the US last night. It was trading back above 7,000 after rising by more than 1 per cent late morning in the UK.
A surge in online shopping during the pandemic helped Boohoo see its revenue jump by 41 per cent to £1.7billion in the last year.
The group, which owns a string of brands including Debenhams, Oasis and Warehouse, said revenue growth across all territories and brands was strong in the year to 28 February, adding that UK sales rose 39 per cent.
Direct Line hit as pandemic affects motor market 05/05/2021, 9:22 am
Insurer Direct Line Group has blamed fewer numbers of people driving amid the pandemic for a hit to premiums in its first quarter.
Insurer Direct Line Group has blamed fewer numbers of people driving amid the pandemic for a hit to premiums in its first quarter.
The group, which owns the Direct Line and Churchill brands, saw gross written motor insurance premiums tumble 10.6% to £367.3 million in the first three months of the year.
It said premiums were affected by trends in the wider market, with fewer claims, a drop in new car sales and fewer new drivers taking to the roads.
May 5, 20218:39 AM UTC
United KingdomUK new car sales rise over 3,000% from last year s lockdown low
Reuters
2 minute read
Toyota cars at a dealership in West London are pictured as it remains closed during lockdown following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), London, Britain, May 5, 2020. REUTERS/Toby Melville
British new car sales rose by more than 3,000% in April as the reopening of dealerships to the public in England helped boost figures compared to the same time last year when the first lockdown almost completely wiped out volumes.
Registrations stood at 141,583 vehicles, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), up from just 4,321 in April 2020, the lowest level of any month since February 1946 as plants and showrooms shut due to the COVID-19 pandemic.