Growing business fleet demand fuels rise in new car sales

Company purchases and cheap finance deals drive surge but economists warn private demand is falling as consumers are put off by Brexit vote uncertainty

New car sales in the UK continued to rise last month as growing demand from businesses made up for falling demand from private buyers.

A total of 184,101 vehicles were registered in November, a rise of 2.9% from a year earlier, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. So far this year, more than 2.5m new cars were registered - a record for the 11-month period.