New car visits to Auto Trader increased by 4% year on year in September, led by buyer interest in BMW, Volkswagen and Land Rover models.
Visits were also 7% higher than in August, while advertised new car stock increased by 4% month on month as dealers and manufacturers targeted demand around the 76-plate change.
BMW generated 10.7% of all new car enquiries on Autotrader during September, placing it ahead of Volkswagen at 9% and Land Rover at 8.7%.
The Volkswagen Golf was the most in-demand individual model, accounting for 4.9% of enquiries across all fuel types.
Land Rover placed three models among the six most popular new cars. The Range Rover Sport ranked second, followed by the Range Rover in fourth and Defender 110 in sixth.
Jaecoo’s 7 was the third most in-demand model, generating 3.1% of enquiries.
Most in-demand new car models across all fuel types
| Rank | Make | Model | Share of enquiries |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Volkswagen | Golf | 4.9% |
| 2 | Land Rover | Range Rover Sport | 3.3% |
| 3 | Jaecoo | 7 | 3.1% |
| 4 | Land Rover | Range Rover | 2.1% |
| 5 | MG | MGS9 | 1.9% |
| 6 | Land Rover | Defender 110 | 1.8% |
| 7 | Vauxhall | Corsa | 1.6% |
| 8 | Renault | 5 E-Tech | 1.5% |
| 9 | MG | MG HS | 1.5% |
| 10 | BMW | M3 | 1.5% |
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Most in-demand new car brands across all fuel types
| Rank | Make | Share of enquiries |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BMW | 10.7% |
| 2 | Volkswagen | 9.0% |
| 3 | Land Rover | 8.7% |
| 4 | Audi | 6.6% |
| 5 | Skoda | 5.4% |
| 6 | MG | 5.4% |
| 7 | Jaecoo | 5.2% |
| 8 | Peugeot | 3.6% |
| 9 | Hyundai | 3.2% |
| 10 | Renault | 3.2% |
Renault 5 leads electric car demand
The Renault 5 E-Tech Electric was the most in-demand new EV during September, accounting for 5.7% of electric car enquiries.
BMW’s iX1 ranked second with 3.7%, while the Hyundai Inster and BMW iX3 each generated 3.4%.
BMW led the electric brand ranking with 9.7% of enquiries, ahead of Renault at 6.6% and Hyundai at 6.4%.
BYD was the highest-ranked Chinese brand, placing fourth with a 5.4% share. Tesla did not appear among the 10 leading electric brands or models.
European manufacturers occupied the first five positions in the electric model ranking, while Skoda placed both the Enyaq and Elroq in the top 10.
Most in-demand new electric car models
| Rank | Make | Model | Share of enquiries |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Renault | 5 E-Tech Electric | 5.7% |
| 2 | BMW | iX1 | 3.7% |
| 3 | Hyundai | Inster | 3.4% |
| 4 | BMW | iX3 | 3.4% |
| 5 | Honda | Super-N | 2.7% |
| 6 | Cupra | Raval | 2.7% |
| 7 | Skoda | Enyaq | 2.5% |
| 8 | Skoda | Elroq | 2.4% |
| 9 | Ford | Explorer | 2.3% |
| 10 | Nissan | Micra | 2.2% |
Most in-demand new electric car brands
| Rank | Make | Share of enquiries |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BMW | 9.7% |
| 2 | Renault | 6.6% |
| 3 | Hyundai | 6.4% |
| 4 | BYD | 5.4% |
| 5 | Kia | 5.2% |
| 6 | Skoda | 5.2% |
| 7 | Cupra | 4.8% |
| 8 | Ford | 4.7% |
| 9 | Peugeot | 4.3% |
| 10 | Mini | 4.1% |
Petrol discounts rise as EV incentives ease
Average new car discounts increased from 10.5% in August to 10.7% in September, although the movement differed by fuel type.
Average petrol discounts rose from 11.3% to 11.9% as manufacturers sought to stimulate demand and meet wider volume targets.
Meanwhile, average EV discounts declined from 11.1% to 10.7%.
Autotrader attributed the reduction partly to Mercedes-Benz and MG scaling back electric car incentives as they approached their Zero Emission Vehicle mandate requirements for the year.
Other manufacturers that still needed to increase their EV registrations continued to offer larger discounts.
Electric cars accounted for a record 30% of new car enquiries on Auto Trader during August. The marketplace said the momentum had continued into September, supported by rising petrol prices.
Bex Kennett, head of new car at Auto Trader, said: “The September plate change is delivering a clear boost in consumer activity, with visits and retailer listings up both month-on-month and year-on-year.
“What stands out most in this data is the overwhelming strength of the established European manufacturers with brands such as BMW, Volkswagen and Land Rover capturing significant buyer interest across both traditional fuel types and new electric models.”
Kennett said discounting on petrol cars was helping maintain momentum across the wider market, but brand strength and product appeal continued to be important drivers of customer enquiries.