The UK’s new car market grew by nearly a quarter last month as it displayed a “rebound” from tax rises, an industry body said. Some 149,247 new cars were registered in April, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said. New car registrations rose by 11.7 per cent in July as the UK market experienced its eighth consecutive month of growth. A big driver of that growth was the electric vehicle market, with demand for battery-powered vehicles rising by 44.5 per cent to a total of 43,106 cars during the month. Electric vehicles now represent 14.9 per cent of the car market.