The UK car industry has endured one of its gloomiest years on record according to experts, with latest figures revealing demand for new cars has fallen by seven per cent in October.

Compared to the same month in 2018, there were 10,348 fewer news cars registered last month according to figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

The picture for the motor industry is made clear by the news that eight months out of ten in 2019 have seen new car registrations dip year-on-year.

With both petrol and diesel sales dropping the only bright news from the latest figures was the jump in alternatively fuelled cars, with hybrids and electric vehicles increasing their market share to a record 9.9 per cent - meaning one in ten new cars sold today is either a hybrid or an electric vehicle.

SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: “The growth in alternatively fuelled cars is very welcome, showing increasing buyer appetite for these new technologies.

“The overall market remains tough, however, with October now the year's eighth month of decline.

“Whether the General Election delivers a bounce to the economy remains to be seen, but with attractive deals and an ever-greater choice of low, ultra low and zero emission models arriving in the UK's showrooms, consumers have every incentive to consider buying a new car.”

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