According to figures published by ACEA, car registrations in the EU rose 6.8% in 2016, marking the third year of growth, despite political instability and economic uncertainty following key events in 2016.

Within the major EU markets, Italy (+13.1%) and Spain (+9.3%) posted the highest gains last month.

Growth was recorded throughout the year, with a total of 14,641,356 units registered overall. Italy (+15.8%) and Spain (+10.9%) had the strongest growth in demand during the year, followed by France (+5.1%), Germany (+4.5%) and the UK (+2.3%).]

December registrations were also up, with a 3.0% uplift to 1,143,653 units – the highest total on record for the month. Within the major EU markets, Italy (+13.1%) and Spain (+9.3%) posted the highest gains last month, followed by France (+5.8%) and Germany (+3.7%), which also performed better than in December 2015. Demand for new cars in the UK (-1.1%) dropped slightly.

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