The market in August is typically quiet in the UK as new registration plates start in September. Nevertheless, car buyers took advantage of attractive offers pushing the market up by almost a quarter YoY. However the most notable rise was in sales of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and pure electric vehicles. These rose by 88% YoY and accounted for 8% of all car sales – the highest level achieved so far. This was partly due to rising fuel prices and a growing mistrust of diesels, but more positively the increasing range and quality of hybrid and electric vehicles is also drawing in both private and fleet buyers. Expect the ratio to continue rising. – Peter Richardson