Van and truck sales up in March

Demand for the new 14 registration plate fuelled commercial vehicle growth in March. Total commercial vehicle registrations grew 11.4 per cent in March to 54,232 with the rolling year figure up 15.6 per cent to 335,840.

The combined March and September plate-changes typically account for around a third of the annual van market. The strong 14.6 per cent rise to 50,064 van registrations is in line with expectations

Truck registrations continued the Euro-6 lag, but the monthly shortfall fell to -16.5 per cent from -27 per cent in February and -37 per cent in January. The figure for 12 months to March remained up 23 per cent.

“The new 14-plate drove van numbers up, pushing the overall commercial vehicle market 11.4 per cent ahead of 2013 to more than 54,000 units,” said Mike Hawes SMMT Chief Executive. “Registration plate changes always prove popular with van buyers, so March and September numbers are typically more than double the average month, a trend continued this March as volumes rose 14.6 per cent to above 50,000 units. Truck demand remained subdued as the influence of Euro-6 legislation continues to be felt across the sector, but the level of impact has lessened steadily since January and should be minimal by mid-year.”