London, Oct 4 (IANS): New car sales in Britain continued to rise in September, hitting a record high in five years, according to figures released Friday by the car traders organisation.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said, the new car registrations in September surged 12.1 percent to reach 403,136 units, boosted by strong private demand which rose to 16.7 percent year-on-year in the month. This helped overall market to rise by 10.8 percent, reports Xinhua.

"New car registrations in September were the highest monthly total since March 2008. With over 400,000 new cars registered for the first time in over five years, the British market is reflecting growth in economic confidence," said SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes.

Private demand accounted for 51.8 percent of the total sales in September to reach 208,844 units.

Robust private demand has played a major role in this growth, as customers are attracted by exciting, increasingly fuel-efficient new models which offer savings in the cost of ownership.

"This is the 19th consecutive month of steady growth, with fleet and business demand still to reach pre-recession levels. We believe the performance to remain sustainable. The latest 63-plate should deliver success next year," said Hawes.

According to the SMMT, total sales of new cars in Britain were 1.79 million units in January-September 2013, rising 10.8 percent over the same period last year. Of these, 869,421 units were sold to private buyers.

The best sellers in September were Fiesta, Corsa, Focus, Golf and Astra.