2020.07.0610:39:00UTC+00UK Car Registrations Fall In June: SMMT

UK car registrations decreased again in June reflecting uncertain economic confidence and delayed re-opening of Welsh and Scottish showrooms, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, or SMMT, reported Monday.

Car registrations declined 34.9 percent on a yearly basis in June. Nonetheless, the drop was an improvement on May's -89.0 percent wipe-out.

Only 145,377 new cars were registered in June, which represented a significant decline of 78,044 compared with June 2019.

"While it's welcome to see demand rise above the rock-bottom levels we saw during lockdown, this is not a recovery and barely a restart," Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive?said.

Many of June's registrations could be attributed to customers finally being able to collect their pre-pandemic orders, and appetite for significant spending remains questionable, Hawes noted.

During January to June period, car sales decreased 48.5 percent from the same period last year.

The lobby said about 240,000 private sales was lost since consumers were told to 'stay at home' and retailers forced to close, resulting in an estimated GBP 1.1 billion loss to the Treasury in VAT receipts alone.