Diesel sales accounted for a record share of the new car market in November as rising pump prices saw more drivers opt for the more frugal fuel.

Diesels accounted for 43.5% of the market last month, following on from another record month in October.

Christopher Macgowan, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said: “It is really encouraging to see the growth in diesel registrations, and this is expected to exceed 40% of the total market by the end of 2007.”

November saw 158,735 new cars sold in the UK, 2.2% up on the same period last year.

Of that total, 84,782 were fleet sales, with business sales to fleets running 25 vehicles or fewer taking 7,983 units.

In the fleet market, Vauxhall took the number one spot with nearly 14,000 sales in November, a drop of 5.2% on the same month last year.

Its oldest model, the Vectra, recorded the largest sales rise – up by 18%.

Ford was second, down 14%, with the Focus falling by 28% due to the run-out of the current model and the arrival of a facelifted version next year.

Volkswagen, in third, continued its steady climb with a 9.3% year-on-year increase in registrations thanks to strong demand for the Golf.

Elsewhere, the march of the premium marques continued unabated, with BMW in sixth with a 53.3% increase in fleet sales in November.

Mercedes-Benz increased registrations by nearly 11% thanks to the strong reception to the new C-Class range, while the Qashqai and Note models helped Nissan to 10th.

Top 10 fleet manufacturers

Company		Nov 07		% change
1 Vauxhall		13,933		(-5.2)
2 Ford		12,794		(-14.4)
3 Volkswagen		8,756		(9.3)
4 Peugeot		5,170		(12.6)
5 Renault		5,094		(7.7)
6 BMW		4,509		(53.3)
7 Audi A3		3,516		(10.6)
8 Toyota		3,321		(34.5)
9 Mercedes-Benz		2,737		(10.8)
10 Nissan		2,734		(33.6)

Top 10 fleet models

Model		Nov 07		% change
1 Ford Focus		5,083		(-28.4)
2 Vauxhall Astra		5,056		(-9.5)
3 Volkswagen Golf		3,318		(23.5)
4 Vauxhall Zafira		3,100		(-1.7)
5 Ford Mondeo		2,692		(-7.8)
6 Vauxhall Corsa		2,654		(0.7)
7 Peugeot 207		2,583		(49.4)
8 Renault Megane		2,576		(-8.9)
9 Vauxhall Vectra		2,487		(18.1)
Ford Fiesta		2,387		(-12.7)