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Consumer car finance volumes rise 7% in June as new car market strengthens

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Consumer car finance new business volumes increased by 7% in June 2026 compared with the same month last year, according to the latest figures from the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA).

The value of new business rose by 11% year-on-year, while across the first half of 2026 consumer car finance volumes were 4% higher than during the same period in 2025.

Growth was led by the consumer new car finance market, where both the value and volume of new business increased by 21% in June. New business volumes for the first six months of the year were 17% ahead of the corresponding period last year.

The used car finance market was more subdued. New business volumes were unchanged in June compared with a year earlier, although the value of advances increased by 1%. During the first half of 2026, used car finance volumes fell by 2% year-on-year.

Geraldine Kilkelly, Director of Research and Chief Economist at the FLA, said the figures represented a “strong first half year” for the consumer car finance market, supported by a buoyant new car sector and increasing demand for electric vehicles.

She highlighted the “vital role” of finance in the transition to electrification, with FLA members funding almost nine in ten private new car purchases and almost all private new battery electric vehicle (BEV) purchases.

Kilkelly also welcomed the Government’s review of the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate, but stressed that the long-term health of the EV market would depend on supporting demand for used vehicles as well as new registrations.

“As increasing volumes of electric vehicles enter the used market over the coming years, targeted measures to support consumer demand will be essential to ensure a healthy, sustainable and predictable balance between new and used vehicle markets,” she said.

Table 1: Cars bought on finance by consumers through the point of sale
New businessJun 2026%  change on prev. year3
months to Jun 2026
% change on prev. year12 months to Jun 2026% change on prev. year
New cars      
Value of advances (£m)2,041215,1992121,00613
Number of cars70,61421180,67420735,58713
Used cars      
Value of advances (£m)1,82915,462-221,7761
Number of cars116,6900348,352-31,390,685-1
Total cars      
Value of advances (£m)3,8701110,661842,7827
Number of cars187,3047529,02642,126,2723
       
Table 2: Cars bought on finance by businesses
New businessJun 2026%  change on prev. year3 months to Jun 2026% change on prev. year12 months to Jun 2026% change on prev. year
New cars
Number of cars35,19226101,25926369,4238
Used cars      
Number of cars5,2731815,5902258,64311