Some 316,405 cars were registered last month, up from 253,680 in August 2017, the KBA transport authority said in a statement.

Industry observers point to the September introduction of the so-called “WLTP” emissions testing standard in the EU as a factor pushing carmakers to offer deep discounts or register vehicles to local sellers in August.

The popularity of diesel cars – whose manipulation to appear less polluting by Volkswagen and other firms prompted the push for WLTP – remains squeezed in Germany, with the fuel accounting for 32.6% of new registrations.

But the main beneficiary of drivers’ flight from diesel has been the petrol engine, with a 62.1% market share in August.

Alternatives to traditional combustion engines paled in comparison, with hybrids accounting for 4% of sales, all-electric just 0.8% and natural gas 0.4%.

Despite the diesel scandal, Volkswagen-brand cars accounted for one in five sales in Germany this year, adding 15.4% between January and August compared with the same period in 2017 to top 491,000 units.

The VW group’s high-end subsidiary Audi has enjoyed 6.4% growth compared with shrinking sales for rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz.