Figures show new cars taxed increased 13% last month

The number of new cars taxed for the first time increased by almost 13% last month — as car sales show no signs of slowing down.

According to figures from the CSO, there were 14,847 new private cars licensed for the first time last month — an increase of 12.8% compared with the same month last year. A total of 5,626 used (imported) private cars were licensed, an increase of over 40% on the same month in 2015.

In the first four months of 2016, 83,222 new private cars were licensed, a rise of 26.7% compared with the same period last year. The number of used (imported) private cars licensed rose by 15.8% compared with the same period in 2015.