UK Car Registrations January 2012

(Monday 6 February 2012)

128,853 new cars were registered in the UK last month, an increase of 0.03% over 2011 which the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders describes as "a welcome sign of stability in uncertain economic times".

Ford has leapt ahead of the opposition right from the start of the year, with 7824 Fiestas and 5643 Focuses registered already. The next most popular model is the Volkswagen Golf on 3992, followed by the Vauxhall Corsa on 3624, the Astra on 3340 and the Polo on 2898.

The numbers for January are so small that identifying trends from them can be risky, but it's worth noting that 4176 more diesels were registered than last year (bringing diesel penetration up to 53.7%), while there was a 17.7% rise in the number of alternative-fuelled vehicles.