Car makers are being forced to build vehicles drivers 'don't want' to meet green targets, one of the country's biggest dealership chains has warned.

Under rules brought in by the previous Tory administration, 22 per cent of new cars sold next year must be zero emission. This threshold is set to rise to 80 per cent in 2030.

Robert Forrester, chief executive of Vertu Motors, said this meant car makers were producing vehicles that many drivers do not want.

'In some franchises there's a restriction on supply of petrol cars and hybrid cars, which is actually where the demand is,' he said yesterday.

'It's almost as if we can't supply the cars that people want, but we've got plenty of the cars that maybe they don't want.'

Subdued demand for electric cars is hitting business, he added, as car makers build these greener models at a faster rate than drivers are looking to buy them.

Vertu warned profits would dip in the half year after new car sales fell 5.8 per cent in the five months to July 31. 

But the group, which has 192 showrooms in the UK, saw used car sales rise 5.5 per cent, helping push group revenues up 3.3 per cent.

Vertu remains 'highly focused on cost and efficiency' as higher staff wage bills push up cost pressures, with plans to roll out trials automating some admin and finance tasks in the coming months.