UK car registrations hit five-year high in September The Ford Fiesta remained Britain's most popular car last month, with 20,629 units sold. "Attractive finance packages are offering consumers more clarity on running costs, which even with a more promising economic outlook is an important factor for those on a budget," said Richard Lowe, head of retail and wholesale at Barclays. As we head into the quieter months, I suspect we'll see sales hold firm, keeping the UK market zooming ahead of our European counterparts. The UK car market has cemented its position as the second largest in Europe, with 1.79m new cars sold this year. In addition, more than one in seven new cars registered in September was built in the UK. Only Germany has sold more cars this year, although the 2.22m vehicles sold is 6pc down on 2012. Mr Hawes also believed the UK would sustain its recent strong performance. "This is the 19th consecutive month of steady growth and, with fleet and business demand still to reach pre-recession levels, we believe the performance to be sustainable," he said. The latest 63-plate should deliver positive results into next year. Britain's insatiable appetite for new cars was further highlighted yesterday when German carmaker Audi said sales in Britain hit a record high of 25,829 cars last month. Mercedes-Benz manufacturer Daimler also saw European sales of its luxury marque climb 14.2pc in September, while global sales rose 15.9pc to 142,994.