New car sales improved by 31.6% in October, compared to the same month last year.
The increase - the fourth consecutive monthly improvement in year-on-year sales - was much stronger than anticipated by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), which publishes the figures. October's figures also represent the largest monthly increase of 2009.
Despite this, year-to-date sales, at 1,685,981, stand 12.3% down on the same point in 2008.
Announcing the figures, SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt said that the scrappage scheme alone had accounted for more than 20% of the improvement.
"We have seen additional demand created by the extension of the scheme and customers wanting to avoid the VAT increase planned for January," he said.
"Encouragingly, there has also been an increase in demand in the fleet and business sectors, which will be critical in sustaining recovery next year."
The stronger figures come amid other signs of recovery in the car industry. Yesterday, GM credited "an improving business environment" in its decision not to complete the sale of Vauxhall-Opel.
Meanwhile Toyota, the world's largest car maker, announced its first quarterly profit after three successive quarters of losses. After posting a 21.8 billion yen (£146 billion) profit for the July-September period, the company slashed its projected loss for the year to 200 billion yen - down from 450 billion yen.
The surprise return to profit came a day after the company withdrew its team from Formula One following eight seasons without a race win. In an emotional press conference, Toyota president Akio Toyoda explained that the company must focus on products, and create "flavourful vehicles that make [customers] happy".
