The forecast for 2025 is optimistic, though.
The UK’s light commercial vehicle market hit a speed bump in January 2025, skidding to a 20.5 per cent decline. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), a mere 19,050 vans, pick-ups, and 4x4s found new homes this month, marking the second consecutive monthly downturn.
The heavyweight champs of the road – large vans – took the brunt of the blow, with registrations nosediving by 22.3 per cent to 11,537 units. Medium vans didn’t fare much better, experiencing a 30.4 per cent drop to 3,507 units. Even the rugged 4x4s and trusty pickups couldn’t escape the slump, declining by 27.2 per cent and 6.5 per cent, respectively.
In a surprising plot twist, small vans defied the trend, zooming ahead with an 89.8 per cent increase in registrations, totaling 668 units. While they still represent just 3.5 per cent of the market, it’s a silver lining in an otherwise cloudy forecast.
Slow start to the year:
Meanwhile, battery electric vans continued their uphill climb, marking a 12.4 per cent rise to 1,464 units, now holding a 7.6 per cent market share. The SMMT remains optimistic, projecting BEV registrations to hit 33,000 by year’s end, capturing a 10.6 per cent share. However, this still falls short of the ambitious 16 per cent target set by the UK government.
The Ford Transit Custom was the best-selling LCV model in the UK last month with 2,782 registrations, followed by two other Ford products – the Ranger (1,805 sales) and the Transit (1,735). The Vauxhall Vivaro came fourth (770) and the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter came fifth (712).
1. Ford Transit Custom – 2,728
2. Ford Ranger – 1,805
3. Ford Transit – 1,735
4. Vauxhall Vivaro – 770
5. Mercedes-Benz Sprinter – 712
6. Peugeot Partner – 686
7. Citroen Berlingo – 650
8. Vauxhall Combo – 630
9. Renault Trafic – 518
10. Ford Transit Courier – 511
The downturn comes on the heels of a robust 2024, where the LCV market grew by 3.0 per cent, surpassing 350,000 registrations – the best performance since 2021. However, the current economic climate and wavering business confidence have thrown a wrench into the works. The SMMT’s latest outlook predicts a 1.2 per cent contraction in the overall market for 2025, with the industry facing significant challenges to meet the UK’s stringent electric vehicle mandates.
Source:
SMMT