According to the latest SMMT report, the van market in the UK declined in November, while the EV demand is growing.
Van Market Data by SMMT
New light commercial vehicles (LCVs) market in the UK declined by more than a fifth (22.2%) in November, with 23,570 vans, pickups and 4x4s joining the road, according to the latest figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The fall continued a contraction in fleet renewal across 2025, amid weak business confidence and a difficult economic environment, with 11.4% fewer registrations than the same 11-month period last year.
November saw demand fall in every LCV segment, with the large van market down by 19.7% to 16,463 units – albeit still representing the majority (69.8%) of the overall market, SMMT reports. Medium-sized vans declined by 20.5% to 3,976 units, while registrations of new 4x4s and small-sized vans also shrank, by 10.3% and 53.8% to 705 and 462 units respectively.
On a more positive note, registrations of new battery electric vans (BEVs) returned to growth, rising by 25.3% to 2,909 units, accounting for 12.3% of the overall market – 2025’s highest monthly share. Growth has been impressive across the year, up by 44.7% compared with the same period in 2024, with 27,159 registrations. Despite this performance, the year-to-date BEV market share stands at 9.4% – a significant distance behind the 16% share mandated by government for 2025.
Mike Hawes, CEO of SMMT, commented: “Lacklustre light commercial vehicle uptake highlights weak economic confidence, and slower fleet renewal means slower decarbonisation. While it is encouraging that zero emission van uptake is rising, the pace of change severely lags government ambition, and every lever must be pulled to support demand and protect industry investment – both of which are essential to our shared net zero goals.”
