The UK new car market grew by 12 per cent during February, with 76,958 cars being registered.æ Fleet business registrations accounted for a substantial 59.1 per cent of the market, at 45,519 units. According to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), February was the 36th straight month of growth, marking the first time that the UK has seen three years of simultaneous expansion.æ The previous record was 26 months in the late 1980s. The number of new cars registered has been on the rise since March 2012, with the country continuing to react positively to the recession.æ Consumer demand has been driven by both exciting new products and attractive finance deals. Figures for 2015 so far show that 143,287 fleet registrations were made overall, out of a total of 241,814 cars.æ This gives fleets a market share of 59.2 per cent; an increase on the figure of 54.7 per cent taken last year. Mike Hawes, chief executive for the SMMT, said: "Three years of continuous growth in the new car market is remarkable and reflects the strong upturn in the confidence of UK car buyers since the recession. "Registrations of fleet and business cars have outpaced the private market in February, reflecting the increased business confidence across the UK. 'With most fleet car buyers on a three-year replacement cycle, many of those cars purchased at the beginning of the current growth period are now due for replacement. 'Over the course of 2015, however, we are expecting a more stable market to emerge given there has already been an extended period of consistent growth." Phil Harrold, automotive partner for PwC, said: "The three years of consecutive growth is really welcome news for the UK automotive industry and the direction of travel of these latest figures for new private car registrations is unsurprising given the relatively stable market and positive consumer sentiment.î 'However, the size of the increase in fleet and business registrations is more surprising and is more a reflection of where we are in the cycle of business fleet replacement. Therefore we wouldn't expect business registration increases to be maintained at this level over the next few months.î