Motorists are buying smaller cars

Friday, June 06, 2008

Motorists are buying smaller cars in the face of higher fuel prices and road tax.

New registrations of 4x4s last month dipped by 18% compared with May 2007, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

In contrast, supermini sales rose by 120% last month, highlighting that car buyers could be becoming more conscious of their cars' running costs. Diesel sales rose by 8.4% in the same period, too.

Overall, car sales dipped by 3.5% from April.