New car sales set fuel economy record

The average new car sold in the UK last month now does more miles to the gallon than ever before, the SMMT has revealed.

Top 10 most economical cars

The record breaking fuel economy follows an improvement in mpg of almost 30% over the past decade. It is aided in part by record sales of diesel cars, which now take 55.6% of the new car market.

Car fuel economy – the truth about mpg

Average fuel economy for a new car sold in the UK is now 52.5mpg.

MSN Cars Green Car Guide

The news provides a welcome boost for the car industry, which saw new car sales decline by 4.2% in November 2011. The total market was down on 2010, to 134,027 cars.

This was still 5,000 units above forecast but reverses a growth in new car registrations recorded last month.

SMMT Chief Executive Paul Everitt said the fuel economy record was good news for both the industry and new car buyers. “Despite the Chancellor delaying the 3p rise in fuel duty, our cost of fuel is still among the highest in Europe, so customers are sure to welcome the 29.3% improvement in new car fuel efficiency over the last 10 years.”

This is, he added, “a demonstration of industry’s commitment to delivering good value to motorists”.

The Ford Fiesta remained the best selling car in November 2011, meaning Ford’s supermini has topped the sales charts in every month of 2011. Surprisingly though, the Ford Focus fell to fourth place, behind the Volkswagen Golf. Is this due to a drop in demand or problems with supplies?

The Mercedes C-Class also made a surprise entry into the top 10 best sellers chart. Mercedes is on a roll in the UK at the moment, with sales up nearly 11% on this time last year. The brand has already broken its UK sales total of last year, despite there being a month of sales still remaining.

Tellingly though, the SMMT said the market overall remains “supported by growth in the fleet market and customer incentives”. There are some superb new car deals to be had at the moment, as the manufacturers use every marketing tool they can to ensure customers are still drawn into the showrooms.

This is undoubtedly affecting profit margins, but in the current climate, keeping sales going is more important than maximising how much is made on each one…

November 2011 – top 10 best sellers

1 Ford Fiesta

2 Vauxhall Corsa

3 Volkswagen Golf

4 Ford Focus

5 Vauxhall Astra

6 Volkswagen Polo

7 Nissan Qashqai

8 BMW 3 Series

9 MINI

10 Mercedes C-Class