Fall in UK March van sales

Commenting on the latest UK registration figures for vans, Sue Robinson, Chief Executive of the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), said; “Registrations of light commercial vehicles declined in March as supply constraints and subsequent product shortages continue to have a detrimental impact on the market; these issues are not only affecting automotive, but also other economy sectors, such as the construction industry, whose stability is vital to the van market.”

New light commercial vehicle (LCV) registrations decreased by -27.6 per cent in March to 40,613 units. Following the fall in the important plate change month of March, the market is now -23.6 per cent below last year.

Large vans weighing more than 2.5 – 3.5 tonnes saw registrations decline by -18.9 per cent. This is a key segment of the market representing more than 70per cent of all light vans sold in the UK.

Following last month’s growth, the medium-sized van segment (>2.0 – 2.5 tonnes) saw a -27.6 per cent decline. Year to date, this segment, which is a good indicator of the robustness of the service sector, is -11.6 per cent below 2021’s levels.

Looking at the other segments of the market, pickups fell by -48.4 per cent to 4,457 units; small vans experienced a significant decline, down by -70.8 per cent to less than 1,000 units, whilst 4x4s fell by -33.3 per cent although this is the smallest segment in volume terms (446 units).

Positively, sales of battery electric vans rose by 17.7 per cent to 1,909 units. In the first quarter of the year, BEVs (battery electric vehicles) are up by an impressive 68.9 per cent.

Ford was the market leader in March with a remarkable 41.9per cent share. It was followed by Vauxhall (10.4 per cent) and Citroen, Peugeot and Volkswagen with an 8.1 per cent market share each.

Robinson added: “Although this month’s decline is significant and was anticipated due to the ongoing supply constraints, it is important to note that pent-up demand boosted the market last year.

“Product and component shortages have certainly restrained the market in volume as although the sales of battery electric vans were up 17.7 per cent in March, this was still much lower than the growth in previous months, indicating the downturn in product supply.

“External factors will likely impact the market in the short and medium term, but dealers are hopeful the situation will improve going forward”.