The UK’s new car market was absolutely ravaged by strict coronavirus lockdown measures across the country in April but there were a few ‘winners’, namely the Tesla Model 3 and Jaguar I-Pace.

Figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reveal that new car registrations in the UK declined by a remarkable 97.3 per cent with just 4,321 new cars registered during the month. That is 156,743 fewer than in April 2019 and represents the country’s worst month of new car sales since 1946.

The majority of vehicles sold were fleet orders, with the 3,090 units accounting for 71.5 per cent of total sales; private buyers registered just 871 cars.

The number of new petrol and diesel cars hitting the roads fell by 98.5 per cent and 97.6 per cent, respectively, with plug-in hybrid sales declining 95.1 per cent and hybrids 99.3 per cent. Interestingly, the electric vehicle sector performed quite well, only dropping by 9.7 per cent.

This stable demand for EVs saw the Tesla Model 3 become the nation’s best-selling car in April with 658 examples sold. The second best-selling car was another EV, the Jaguar I-Pace with 367 units. It is understood the Model 3’s sales figures come largely as a result of the fulfillment of orders taken online prior to the lockdown. As for the Jaguar I-Pace, its sales can largely be attributed to a deal that will see 700 Jaguar EVs leased to the country’s National Health Service.

“With the UK’s showrooms closed for the whole of April, the market’s worst performance in living memory is hardly surprising,” SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said in response to the figures. “These figures, however, still make for exceptionally grim reading, not least for the hundreds of thousands of people whose livelihoods depend on the sector.”