New car registrations in August were up 9.4% on the same month last year at 72,163 and year-to-date registrations has exceeded 1.5 million, up 10.1% on the previous year’s figure.

Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), said: “New car registrations reached two-and-a-half years of consecutive monthly growth in August, as confident private and fleet consumers continued to snap up enticing deals on a wealth of advanced new products.

“The UK’s performance in the context of Europe is particularly impressive, with growth consistently ahead of the rest of the EU for the past two years. As the UK market starts to find its natural level, we expect to see the growth level off during coming months.”

Sue Robinson, director of the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), said: “It is positive and encouraging to see that the new car market continued to thrive during August in what is traditionally a low volume month for car sales.

“August is traditionally a small market as buyers wait for the plate change on 1 September before purchasing a new vehicle. Therefore, after such a positive increase in sales during August, we anticipate that sales of the new 64-plate will do very well.”

August is one of the year’s quietest months for new car registrations, typically accounting for around 3% of the annual market. In comparison, September usually makes up around 18% of the year’s registrations.