Sales of new cars in UK slumped in March

Economic uncertainty and falling demand for diesel extend run of sliding sales to 12 months

Sales of new cars in the UK plunged in March as economic uncertainty weighed on demand and consumers turned their backs on diesel, extending the run of falling sales to 12 months.

A total of 474,069 new cars were driven off the forecourts of car showrooms last month, down 15.7% compared with March 2017 and the sharpest monthly fall since April last year.