Scrappage registrations total 395,500 units

388,540 new cars and 6,959 new LCVs had been registered through the Scrappage Incentive Scheme (SIS) by the end of April, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Scrappage accounted for 8.0% of all new car and 2.1% of LCV registrations in April.

Average CO2 emissions of a car bought through the scheme were 132.9g/km, over 27% below the scrapped car’s figure and 9.5% below the overall new car market average.

“The scrappage scheme ended in March and SMMT’s latest figures show that the majority of the 400,000 scrappage-funded vehicles have now been registered,” said SMMT chief executive, Paul Everitt. “The scheme helped support our economy and played a vital role in providing a much-needed boost to the UK automotive industry. Our latest registration forecasts suggest the 2010 market will perform better than expected, but will appear subdued compared to the peaks achieved during the scrappage scheme.”

The scrappage scheme accounted for just 8.0% of all new car registrations in April, its lowest share since the scheme began. Since May 2009 the scheme has accounted for 18.1% of total new car sales, and in the second half of 2009 was regularly accounting for more than a fifth of total market volumes. Similarly the impact of the scheme has diminished in the LCV market, accounting for 2.1% of April volumes, compared with 3.7% over the May to April period.