“The rise in February new car registrations marks two full years of continuous month-on-month growth; a real endorsement of consumer confidence and the attractiveness of the new car market,” said Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive.

“While February is typically a quieter month ahead of the March registration plate-change, we expect the arrival of the new 14-plate and increasing economic confidence to maintain a steady rate of growth.”

Ford’s Fiesta continued to dominate new car sales with 4,415 registrations, followed by Vsauxhall’s Corsa and Astra. Premium brands also featured in the top 10 with the Mercedes C-Class the seventh biggest seller (1,231), followed by the Audi A3  in ninth (1,148) and BMW 3 Series in tenth (1,085).

Brands getting off to a particularly strong start to the year include Mazda (+31%), Lexus (26.3% % in the year-to-date), Audi (+16.5%), Renault (+16.2). While Chevrolet, which is being pulled out of Europe by its GM parent, saw sales rise 30.1% in the first two months.