New car registrations rose 30% to 4585 in April from 12 months ago, the highest monthly increase this year, the Motor Industry Association said. 

"The new vehicle industry is very happy with these numbers," association chief executive Perry Kerr said.

In the passenger car segment, Toyota retained top spot with 757 registrations followed by Holden on 503 and Ford on 489.

The top three selling models remain with the Toyota Corolla, followed by the Suzuki Swift and the Holden Commodore.

"April is traditionally a quiet month as sales slow with the Easter break and with school holidays," Mr Kerr said.

"Dealers I have spoken with are reporting good levels of inquiry, but they are also commenting they do not have enough good quality near new used stock, which is putting pressure on prices."

New vehicle sales were at historic lows throughout 2009.

There were 1103 commercial vehicle registrations, down 8.4% from last April.

In the commercial sector, Toyota was number one with 321 registrations followed by Ford with 167 and Nissan with 117.

The most popular light commercial model was the Toyota Hilux followed by the Nissan Navara and the Ford Ranger.