The UK van segement has seen a mixed performance in the first half of 2024, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
While overall registrations remained positive compared to last year, June marked the end of a 17-month growth streak with a 4.5% decline.
The drop in new van sales is partly due to a strong performance in June 2023, where the industry addressed pent-up demand post-pandemic.
Looking at the full first half, the market is still up 4.5% with over 177,000 new vans, pickups, and 4x4s registered so far this year.
Demand for light commercial vehicles (LCVs) varied across the various segments. Medium sized vans saw a significant rise of 14%, while small vans witnessed an even steeper increase of 58.7%.
However, large vans, which make up two-thirds of the market, experienced an 8.3% drop in registrations. Sales of new pickups and 4x4s also declined in June.
Another area of concern is the decline in battery electric van (BEV) sales.
BEV registrations fell for the third consecutive month, dropping 16.8% compared to June 2023. This brings the year-to-date market share of BEVs down to 4.7%, compared to 5.2% last year. This trend is concerning as under the zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate, manufacturers must ensure at least 10% of their new van registrations are zero-emission this year.
Stellantis continues to dominate the electric van market. Peugeot and Vauxhall models have been the best performing of the Stellantis brands which account for more than 43% of all electric vans sold so far this year.
The Ford Transit Custom continues to be the most popular van model in Britain with 22,139 sales so far. Second is its larger sibling the Ford Transit with 15,983 sales. The Ford Ranger pick-up truck sneaks in as the third most popular commercial vehicle with 10,338 sales, but the third most popular van is the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter with 9,119 sales.