The increasing popularity of Toyota’s petrol-electric hybrid vehicles helped propel the manufacturer to a 5.5 per cent increase in new vehicle sales in 2017 – in a UK market that declined overall by 5.6 per cent.

In fact hybrid models, which accounted for almost 45 per cent of that total, saw sales up 40 per cent year-on-year.

In 2017, 101,692 new Toyota passenger cars were sold to UK customers, giving the company a four per cent share of the market.

The new C-HR crossover made a significant impact during its first full year of sales, with almost 15,000 registrations – more than 10,000 of these being the hybrid version.

Toyota offers a wider range of petrol-electric hybrids than any other manufacturer, ranging from the Yaris Hybrid supermini and British-built Auris Hybrid hatchback and wagon, to the RAV4 Hybrid SUV and the latest version of Prius, the world’s first mass-produced hybrid.

Overall passenger car sales were up for both fleet/business (+2.1 per cent) and retail/private (+8.6 per cent) customers.

Toyota’s renewed light commercial vehicle range also prospered, with sales of the Hilux pick-up and Proace van range together increasing by almost 31 per cent on 2016’s performance. LCV retail sales more than doubled and fleet figures rose by 26.6 per cent.

Paul Van der Burgh, Toyota GB President and Managing Director, said: “Our positive results demonstrate how more and more motorists are recognising the genuine rewards of choosing a Toyota petrol-electric hybrid. The highly efficient performance of our unmatched hybrid model range is a big draw, together with their well-proven reliability and lasting quality.”