The new van market in the UK rose by 8.8% in November to mark the third consecutive month for sales growth.
According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the UK saw 28,541 new vans being registered.
There was an even better figure for those vans weighing between 2.5 and 3.5 tons.
New vehicles being added to fleets
That’s because sales grew by 25%, with 20,769 new vehicles being added to fleets before Christmas.
However, it’s not all good news because the year-on-year figure has seen van sales falling by 21.5%.
The figures come despite economic uncertainty and various lockdown restrictions in the UK.
New van sector is responding to demand
The SMMT says that the new van sector is responding to demand that is being driven from businesses who have been scaling up their online delivery operations.
They say that the number of small vans being registered that weigh equal to, or less, than 2.0 tonnes saw demand rise by 13.7%.
For those vans that weigh between 2.0 and 2.50 tonnes, they saw sales rising by 13.6%.
The sales for pickups in the UK was disappointing with a drop of 56%, while 4×4’s saw sales decline by 0.7%.
Plug-in hybrid or electric powered LCV’s
The big news is that demand in the UK for plug-in hybrid or electric powered LCV’s is continuing to grow.
The SMMT says that sales rose by 79.7% in November 2019.
And while these figures remain a small portion of the UK’s van sector, they have now doubled their market share of all LCV registrations to 1.9%.
‘New van registration growth’
The chief executive of the SMMT, Mike Hawes, said: “New van registration growth is welcome, but it is important that we do not assume it’s a long-term trend.
“As regions emerge from lockdown, it is vital that growth is translated into long-term investment in fleet renewal to help drive the economy towards recovery.”
Bestselling vans in the UK
This is the top 10 of November’s bestselling vans in the UK:
- Ford Transit Custom
- Mercedes Sprinter
- Ford Transit
- Vauxhall Vivaro
- Citroen Berlingo
- Peugeot Boxer
- Volkswagen Transporter
- Volkswagen Crafter
- Vauxhall Combo
- Vauxhall Movano.
The top five
The bestselling vans in the UK so far in 2020 sees the top five positions being taken by:
- Ford Transit Custom 38,321
- Mercedes Sprinter 21,743
- Ford Transit 19,715
- Vauxhall Vivaro 14,171
- Volkswagen Transporter 13,753.