There has been a positive increase in consumer interest for new cars in January 2025, reports Auto Trader. Visits to its new car platform are increasing 19% month-on-month (MoM), and are up 8% on the same period last year.
The data also highlights a positive start for new EVs as the share of enquiries saw an increase of 3.8 percentage points on the same period last year (14.1% to 17.9%).
Auto Trader’s new car performance director, Bex Kennett, said: “It’s been an encouraging start for the new car market in 2025.
“The solid levels of demand we saw in the closing months of the year have accelerated into January as many potential buyers begin researching their new car in earnest ahead of the calendar’s busiest car buying period.
“In today’s challenging market conditions, it represents an opportunity manufacturers and retailers can ill afford to miss; getting available stock in front of buyers will be essential to converting interest into sales.”
The Land Rover Range Rover ranked first in January’s list of most in demand new cars with a 4.8% share of all new car enquiries.
BMW (a 14.6% share of enquiries), Land Rover (13.6%) and Volkswagen (7%) maintain their position as the top three most popular new car brands.
The average discount applied to new electric cars in January has fallen from 12% in December to 11.5%.
Kennett said: “With the industry facing a steep rise in regulatory targets this year, brands will be under increasing pressure.
“It means new car buyers may well see some very attractive offers in the coming weeks, particularly for the growing array of brand-new EVs. For many, 2025 will be a very good time to make the switch to electric.”
MG is the most popular electric brand on Auto Trader this month, generating nearly one in five (17.1%) of all brand-new electric car enquiries sent to retailers. The most popular fully electric car on Auto Trader is still MG’s MG4, generating almost one in ten (9.5%) of all new EV enquiries in January.