New car discounts of up to 16% have emerged in the run up to the March numberplate change, according to the latest What Car? Target Price data.
The discounts mark a distinct shift from the past 18 months, during which manufacturers have been able to resist offering incentives as a result of supply shortages in the face of the semiconductor chip crisis.
The savings suggest that shortages are easing again and that the pipelines of orders built up by manufacturers - rumoured in extreme cases to be up to 18 months for high-demand cars - are being reduced.