Momentum swung back to fleet and business registrations in April as private buyers showed a modest increase, according to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Fleet registrations were up by 13% in April compared with the same month in 2013, while business registrations increased by 23.4%. Private registrations increased by 2.6% for the month.

However, private registrations still have a greater share of the market for the year to date compared to the same period in 2013, with 49.9% (2013: 49%).

The SMMT has nor revised its full year forecast to 2.4 million registrations from 2.3 million.

"After the bumper plate-change month of March, the UK car market returned to more modest but still positive growth in April, with new car registrations up 8.2% to 176,820 units," said Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive. "This marks 26 consecutive months of growth as GDP continues to pick up, inflation falls and wage levels improve.

"As UK economic confidence improves still further and the market continues its upward trend, we have revised our 2014 forecast up from 2.3 million to over 2.4 million registrations. This represents an increase of more than 6% versus last year."

Best sellers  April          

1  Ford Fiesta  10,250    
2  Ford Focus  6,772   
3  Volkswagen Golf  5,302    
4  Vauxhall Corsa  3,949    
5  Audi A3  3,754    
6  Nissan Qashqai  3,753    
7  Vauxhall Astra  3,562   
8  Volkswagen Polo  3,449    
9  Nissan Juke  3,053    
10  Fiat 500  2,928    

Best sellers year-to-date

1  Ford Fiesta  49,490
2  Ford Focus  31,531
3  Vauxhall Corsa  27,788
4  Volkswagen Golf  24,462
5  Vauxhall Astra  21,027
6  Volkswagen Polo  17,080
7  Nissan Qashqai  16,690
8  Audi A3  15,337
9  Fiat 500  14,613
10  BMW 3 Series  13,523
Source: SMMT

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