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Britain’s new light commercial vehicle (LCV) registrations increased by 17.7% in October with 26,342 vehicles sold.
The growth is some 3.8% above pre-pandemic 2019 levels and rounds off 10 consecutive months of rising demand this year, totalling 284,321 units.
This is the highest volume for two years as the easing of supply chain disruptions means that more operators can more readily renew their fleets.
Following a glut of new battery electric van (BEV) registrations in September, uptake was slower in October, down by a fifth (-20.2%) to 1,362 units – skewed in comparison with a particularly large fleet order in the month last year.
In 2023 to date, BEV demand has risen by 19.8%, with 15,658 units registered since January.
These greenest vehicles represent one in 20 (5.5%) new LCVs so far this year as manufacturers continue to make net zero investments, having already delivered 27 different all-electric van models to market. Uptake rates will need to accelerate, however, and as the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate comes into effect in less than two months, government must pull every lever to stimulate demand.
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said, “As the crucial pre-Christmas delivery period commences, there is a clear appetite for fleets to be fitted out with the latest vans – and it is of critical importance that those vans are the latest, cleanest zero emission models.
With van makers committed to decarbonisation, the upcoming Autumn Statement is the moment for government to send the right signal to operators ahead of the introduction of the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate.
Measures that address van-specific infrastructure challenges and enable more operators across the UK to make the switch are essential as we move towards a pivotal stage of the transition.”
With the van market enjoying 10 consecutive months of growth, the outlook for the year has been revised upwards to 332,000 units, a 1.4% rise on July’s outlook.
However, anticipated BEV registrations have been cut by -9.0% on the previous outlook to 21,000 units – still 26.8% above 2023 – to a 6.3% market share. Looking further ahead, 2024 is expected to see 334,000 new van registrations, with 34,000 BEVs exceeding 10% of the overall market.