By bizn_fun 
Overall, the number of new vehicle registrations – 312,887 – marked the best performing September since 2020, which despite the Covid lockdown restrictions, remains the best so far this decade, according to the SMMT.
The strong month comes as the UK car industry navigates the economic impact of US tariffs and Jaguar Land Rover’s shutdown of production due to a major cyber-attack.
The Kia Sportage, Ford Puma and Nissan Qashqai were the best-selling cars in September, but two Chinese models including the Jaecoo 7 and BYD Seal U were in the top 10.
The government said more than 20,000 people had benefited from EV grants to date, which apply to models from several well-known brands such as Ford, Toyota, Vauxhall and Citroen.
Under the scheme, the discount applies to new eligible car models costing up to £37,000, with the most environmentally friendly ones seeing the biggest reductions. Some 36 models have been cleared for discounts of at least £1,500.
Ian Plummer, Autotrader’s chief commercial officer, said the grant scheme had given a “real lift to the market”.
“Since July, enquiries for new electric vehicles on Autotrader are up by almost 50%. For models eligible for the grant, interest has more than doubled.”