Sales stood at 113,781 cars as 'click and collect' and delivery options were used, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said.

"With a vaccine now approved, the business and consumer confidence on which this sector depends can only improve, giving the industry more optimism for the turn of the year," said SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes.

(Reporting by Costas Pitas in London; Editing by Alistair Smout)