Number of new cars licensed up to 13,000

The number of new cars licensed for the first time surged last month, but remains far short of the buying frenzy at the height of the boom years, official figures show.

The CSO figures show 13,166 new cars were licensed last month, up 12% from the 11,757 cars licensed a year earlier. That is the highest number for any April since the eve of the crash in 2008 and shows the economic upturn is at last helping to drive car sales on the garage forecourts.

However, the latest monthly figures also fall well short of the 21,427 new car licenses recorded at the height of the boom in April 2007, the CSO figures show.