UK car sales down 12% in quarter as  dealerships reopen next week

New car sales last month were a third lower than their average level for March over the decade to 2019.

British new car registrations fell by 12% in the first three months of 2021 compared with the same period a year earlier, new industry figures show.

Registrations in March alone totalled 283,964, an increase of 11.5% as the annual comparisons began to reflect the onset of the pandemic last year.