Electric van registrations stall as van market continues to grow

The UK light commercial vehicle market has maintained its positive trajectory, registering its 17th consecutive month of growth during May.

The latest data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows a 1.9% increase in registrations, reaching 25,853 units for the year to date.

This is the strongest May performance since 2021, a year marked by historically high business investment in commercial vehicles following the Covid pandemic.

Medium vans weighing between 2 tonnes and 2.5 tonnes saw the most significant rise (up 8.1%), while small vans under 2 tonnes experienced the highest proportional growth (55.7%).

The 4x4 market, also susceptible to wild fluctuations due to the very small sales volumes, declined by 15.0%, while pick-up trucks witnessed a modest increase of 4.1%.

As ever, large vans exceeding 2.5t but under 3.5t dominated the market (65.9%), though they registered a slight decrease of 0.8%.

Electric vans fail to charge in 2024

Despite the overall positive outlook, the transition towards electric vans falls short of expectations.

Battery electric van (BEV) registrations grew 3.5% in May, capturing a 4.2% market share.

This marginal increase maintains near parity with the 2023 figure of 4.1%. Even more concerning, year-to-date BEV uptake has dipped slightly to 4.8% market share, down from 5.2%.

Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said, “The UK van market’s 17-month run of growth is playing a crucial part in renewing the fleet with the latest, cleanest vehicles. However, convincing businesses that now is the time to switch to zero emission operations remains a challenge. With an expanding choice for every use case now available, the next government must take steps to recharge the zero emission van market, an essential part of the net zero economy every party wants.”