New figures released today by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that consumer new and used car finance new business both by value and volume fell in May 2024 by 4% compared with the same month in 2023.
In the five months to May 2024, new business was 1% lower by value and 2% lower by volume compared with the same period in 2023.
The consumer new car finance market reported new business by value in May 6% higher than in the same month in 2023, while new business volumes fell by 2%.
In the five months to May 2024, new business volumes in this market were 5% lower than in the same period in 2023.
The consumer used car finance market reported a fall in the value of new business in May of 10% compared with the same month in 2023, while new business volumes decreased by 5%.
In the five months to May 2024, new business volumes in this market held steady compared with the same period in 2023.
Geraldine Kilkelly, director of research and chief economist at the FLA, said: “The point-of-sale (POS) consumer car finance market has seen only a slight fall in new business volumes in 2024 so far.
The finance penetration of the private new BEVs market has continued to improve although the most popular way of obtaining a new BEV continues to be via a salary sacrifice scheme.
“Our latest research suggested that the POS consumer car finance market would see new business by value hold steady in 2024 at around £39bn, supported by improved consumer confidence as real earnings continue to grow and with the prospect of lower interest rates.
| Table 1: Cars bought on finance by consumers through the point of sale | ||||||
| New business | May 2024 | %
change on prev. year |
3 months to May 2024 |
% change on prev. year | 12 months to May 2024 | % change on prev. year |
| New cars | ||||||
| Value of advances (£m) | 1,457 | 6 | 5,286 | 5 | 17,041 | 2 |
| Number of cars | 53,042 | -2 | 191,623 | -2 | 628,308 | -3 |
| Used cars | ||||||
| Value of advances (£m) | 1,788 | -10 | 5,533 | -6 | 21,734 | -6 |
| Number of cars | 122,255 | -5 | 377,517 | -1 | 1,458,537 | -4 |
| Total cars | ||||||
| Value of advances (£m) | 3,245 | -4 | 10,819 | -1 | 38,775 | -2 |
| Number of cars | 175,297 | -4 | 569,140 | -2 | 2,086,845 | -4 |
| Table 2: Cars bought on finance by businesses | ||||||
| New business | May 2024 | %
change on prev. year |
3
months to May 2024 |
% change on prev. year | 12 months to May 2024 | % change on prev. year |
| New cars | ||||||
| Number of cars | 30,426 | 0 | 98,570 | 0 | 385,063 | 24 |
| Used cars | ||||||
| Number of cars | 3,989 | -25 | 12,995 | -5 | 61,082 | -17 |
