New-car sales in the UK rose 13 percent in June compared with a year earlier, marking the 16th consecutive month of growth for the market. The rise in sales is in stark contrast to other major European markets, which have seen sales falling.

New-car registrations increased to 214,957 units last month, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said in a statement today.

Many buyers are returning to the market having held off on purchasing new cars, while attractive finance deals and more fuel-efficient models are also driving growth, SMMT said.

“While there are still potential challenges ahead, recent robust growth suggests that the market is on course to perform well ahead of 2012 levels,” said Mike Baunton, SMMT interim chief executive.

UK car sales have performed much more strongly than in most of the rest of Europe, and over the past year have defied a generally gloomy picture for consumer demand in Britain, helped by cheap finance and other factors.

Earlier this week, data released in Germany showed that new-car sales fell 5 percent in Europe’s biggest car market, while in France, deliveries fell 9 percent. In Italy, registrations were down 6 percent and in Spain, they dropped 1 percent in the same period.