New van registrations see a drop in June

The automotive trade body said the scale of June’s decline was, in part, artificially inflated compared with 2023 – which saw the best June performance for four years as the industry met pent-up demand following Covid.

It also noted that the van market has recorded its best first half since 2021 – up 4.5% on last year to 177,620 new vans, pickups and 4x4s despite the June decline.

The latest figures show the heavier sectors of LCVs have increased, with 2.0-2.5t vans increasing to 7,169 units from 6,291 units, a 14.0% increase. The heavier and most popular-sized vans (2.5-3.5t) saw a decline to 21,677 units from 23,640 units, an 8.3% decrease.

June’s registration figures also show that battery electric van demand declined for the third month this year, down 16.8%, to 1,476 units and resulting in a drop in market share, from 5.1% to 4.5%.

BEV volumes are also down 5.1% YtD, representing 4.7% of the total market share versus 5.2% for the first six months of 2023.

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said:

The best first half of a year since 2021 is great news for a market so intrinsic to economic growth, but this optimism will only continue if action is taken to re-energise zero emission van demand. The new government provides an opportunity to bolster the market with a strategy to grow the UK’s van-specific charging network at pace and maintain essential fiscal incentives to keep this vital market on track, without which our net zero ambitions will be at risk.

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