New registrations for all vehicles sank 15.7 percent in March year-on-year to 474,069 cars, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said in a statement.
The number of new diesel-powered cars plunged 37.2 percent to 153,594, with demand sliding on UK government plans to improve air quality.
Consumers continued to ditch diesel cars last month for automobiles that are regarded as more environmentally-friendly.
March is usually a busy month for car purchases owing to the release of new registration plates.
“March’s decline is not unexpected given the huge surge in registrations in the same month last year,” SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said Thursday regarding the latest data.
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