- Electric vans outperforming sales trends
- New registrations up 109% in August, year on year
- Battery electric vans now account for 9.1% of market
- Overall vans sales have slowed
Battery electric vans are bucking sales trends - with registrations doubling year on year.
Sales have risen 109.5% to 1,902 units and setting a new monthly record in August of 13% market share.
That marks nine months in a row of electric van growth. Year-to-date, BEV sales are up nearly 60%, accounting for 9.1% of the market, although that’s still some way short of the government’s mandated 16% target for 2025.
Overall, the situation is less rosy, with registrations falling by 13.3% in August compared with the same month last year.
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Just 14,365 new vans, pick-ups and commercial 4x4s hit the road, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
August is usually a quiet month before the September registration plate change, but the drop means van sales have now fallen every month of 2025 so far. Large vans, which make up more than 70% of the market, slipped 11.5% to just over 10,000 units. Medium vans were down 14% to 2,383, while small vans fell by 17.6% to only 352.
Pick-ups fared worst of all, down 25.8% to just over a thousand registrations. The slump follows changes to benefit-in-kind and capital allowance rules in April that reclassified double-cab pick-ups as cars, hitting their appeal with business buyers.
The Ford Transit Custom finished the month on top of the registration table, followed very closely by the larger Ford Transit. A distant third was the Mercedes Sprinter, while the top-selling pickup was the Toyota Hilux, which accounted for just over half of all sales.
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Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said: “August is conventionally a low-volume month for the new LCV market so while the continued decline is disappointing, the focus is on September to deliver the fleet investment and growth that would reflect a healthy business environment.”
Sue Robinson, Chief Executive of the NFDA, echoed the concerns, noting that August marked the ninth consecutive month of decline. She added that dealers will be looking to September for growth “in the market other than BEVs.”
Electric van growth, however, still depends on better charging infrastructure. While grants and schemes are helping some operators make the switch, long waits for depot grid connections remain a sticking point.
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