British new car sales recorded their biggest drop since 2009 last year, falling by more than 5% due to uncertainty over potential new diesel charges and weakening consumer confidence since Brexit, an industry body said on Friday.

Registrations ended 2017 at around 2.54-million vehicles, according to provisional data, and are set to fall up to 7% this year, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said.