The UK's new car industry appears to be on the up, after registrations were said to have risen once again in March.

New figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show there has been a healthy level of demand for the new 14-plate.

Indeed, a total of 464,824 new vehicles were registered over the course of the month - an increase of 17.7 per cent.

New cars were previously released only in September, but since 1999 there have been two plate changes each year, with the first coming in March. The statistics show that March 2014 has been the busiest March of any year in this period other than 2004.

The year-to-date figures are similarly promising, with the SMMT noting registrations in this category are up 13.7 per cent to 688,122 units.

And Britons are becoming increasingly aware of the market for alternatively-fuelled vehicles, as volumes hit 8,713 units, making it the biggest month in history in this sector. It was also 63.8 per cent up on the 2013 figures.

Mike Hawes, chief executive of the SMMT, said the results were surprisingly strong and reflect the growing level of confidence consumers have in the automobile market.

"There has never been a better time to buy a new car thanks to attractive finance deals and advanced technologies that often make new cars cheaper to run. We expect the market to continue to perform positively for the rest of the year, albeit at a more modest rate," he explained.

With purchases of new cars heading upwards, there could also be the potential for manufacturers to increase the number of automotive jobs that are available in order to further boost production levels.

The results also showed that the UK's most popular new car is the Ford Fiesta, with 25,757 registrations in March, followed by the Ford Focus (16,860) and the Vauxhall Corsa (16,231).

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