New car registrations for fleet totalled 31,544 in August and 1,574 for business – up 8.2% and down 27.4% respectively when compared to August 2009.

Year-to-date figures reveal fleet registrations are at 625,438, up 14.5% when compared to the same period last year, and business registrations total 61,886, up 3.5%.

Overall, registrations fell 17.5% in August to 55,305 units compared with scrappage-fuelled 2009.

The decline marks second consecutive fall, a pattern expected to continue through to year end.

Volumes, however, are up 13.2% to date against last year, at 1,300,413 units and full year forecast suggests 2010 registrations will finish at 2 million, up 1.2% on 2009.

“New car registrations were down 17.5% in August and conditions will remain challenging through the rest of the year," said Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive. “The industry enjoyed a better than expected first half of the year and, despite the difficulties, SMMT is forecasting that new car registrations will close just ahead of 2009 figures.”