- Demand for large vans remains solid, but fewer purchases of small and medium models pull overall numbers down.
- Pick-up demand grows (8.8%) as UK remains most popular market in Europe for the body style.
- Year-to-date market down -3% on previous year, following record highs of 2015 and 2016.
FIGURES for the van market contracted in September said the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
The SMMT described it as ‘some hesitancy’ in the market.
Just under 54,000 new LCVs were registered in the second busiest month of the year to date, a -6.1% decrease in line with the overall trend so far in 2018.
P{ick-ups remained the growth area. Registrations were up 8.8%, as sales of small and medium-sized vans slumped by -42.9% and -14.4% respectively. The trend for larger vans continues with just a modest -4.0% decrease. SMMT said they had retained their market-leading share.
Year to date, registrations are down -3.0%, with 274,247 new LCVs joining British roads. Overall, however, the market remains at historic high levels that have been maintained since August 2015, with pick-ups enjoying a 4.6% boost so far this year taking them to more than 42,000 units registered, the SMMT added.
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said,
“We have seen fluctuations in UK van registrations so far this year, but the overall downward trend shows that there is some hesitancy in the market. Businesses need certainty to invest and future growth now depends on government providing the right economic conditions to encourage operators to renew their fleets.”
Russell Adams, Commercial Vehicle Manager at Lex Autolease commented:
“Despite a drop in year on year new van registrations, we’re still seeing strong demand across all sectors and expect this to continue through to the end of the year. Maintaining strong service levels and avoiding downtime remains the priority for operators, and updating ageing fleets is key to this.
“We’re still seeing a high number of enquiries related to electric vehicles and are working with customers to determine how best to introduce electrification into their fleet.”