“It is promising to see the new van market continue its momentum into Q2 witnessing an increase of 5.4%, the best April for three years, and marking a sixteenth month of consecutive growth” said Sue Robinson, Chief Executive of the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), which represents franchised car and commercial vehicle retailers in the UK commenting on the latest SMMT’s new passenger van registration figures.
In April, Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) dealers registered a total of 23,889 new vans and light commercials, an increase of 5.4%. This is the sixteenth consecutive month of registration growth.
For 2024, year-to-date figures reveal 118,701 new LCVs are on the road this year, an increase of 8.0%.
The heavier sectors of LCVs have increased, with 2.0-2.5t sized vans growing to 4,611 units from 4,318 units, a 6.8% rise. The heavier, and most popular sized vans (2.5-3.5t) also increased to 15,714 units from 15,205 units, a 3.3% rise.
April’s registration figures experienced a decrease in the number of battery electric commercials registered, down -42.4% to 861 units. The volume for electric vehicle (EV) vans has also declined to 5,800 units this year from 5,987 units (-3.1% change year to date), representing 4.9% of the total market share, down on the 5.4% market share at the same point last year.
Sue Robinson added: “The 2.5-3.5t sector represents the dominant vehicle choice accounting for the majority of LCV registrations. These LCVs are operated by both large fleets and local tradesmen and have a very wide appeal due to their maximum payload capacity.
“It is notable that the take-up of EV commercials remains weak with market share for April falling well below that recorded in April 2023. Similarly, year-to-date figures see a similar story with EV market share at 4.9%, -0.5% lower than the market share recorded at this same point last year.
“Van buyers need confidence from the Government to make the switch to new EV commercials through measures such as improving charging infrastructure. With the ZEV mandate stipulating that 10% of vans sold by manufacturers this year are required to be zero-emissions or face penalties, it is crucial that incentives are introduced by the Government to drive up demand and meet these targets.”
