UK light commercial vehicle registrations rose 10.8% in September, marking the first month of growth in 2022.
September is one of the most popular months of the year for new van registrations due to the plate change and a total of 34,950 LCVs were registered last month.
The rise in registrations was driven by delivery of medium and large vans. Orders for vans over 2.5 tonnes were up 13.9% to represent 73.8% of the market, while registrations of vans over 2.0 tonnes and up to 2.5 tonnes rose by 40.8%. But the small van sector was down 21.5%.
Uptake of battery electric vehicles (BEV) continued to rise, climbing 70.0% and gaining a 4.4% of the market – up from 2.9% in 2021. For the first nine months of the year, BEV volumes increased by 52.9% year on year and commanded a 5.3% share.
However, while the figures show signs that component shortages are starting to ease for some manufacturers, the SMMT warned that supply issues continue to hit the market. Its data also shows September’s performance was artificially inflated in comparison with 2021, which saw the fewest registrations for the month since the 2009 recession. Last month was still some 35.5% below the five-year pre-pandemic average.
The auto trade body is calling for long-term measures that shore up operator confidence amid wider economic uncertainty – it says action is crucial to accelerate uptake of the latest, greenest vans and support a zero-emission future.
Mike Hawes, chief executive, commented: “While the full recovery of Britain’s new van market remains some way off, September growth reflects van makers’ efforts to fulfil strong order books despite a paucity of supply. High energy costs and wider economic uncertainty, however, will undermine operator confidence, meaning that long-term measures to provide stability and growth are needed if the sector – so often a bellwether for business activity – is to return to its past success.”
Sue Robinson, chief executive of the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), said: “It is positive to see the first increase in van registrations this year, although taking into consideration September 2021 registrations were the lowest since 2009. Deliveries of new LCVs are still affected by component shortages, some of September’s registrations that were in stock were held back by customers who desired the new updated number plate.
“Currently orders outstrip supply due to the shortages in key part components, but some manufacturers are finding that this is improving. The economic uncertainty could spark a lack of consumer confidence and impact the currently strong consumer demand, although this has not yet been recorded. Overall, van dealers are confident that current demand will hold up for the remainder of the year.”
The SMMT figures reveal Ford’s Transit Custom and the larger Transit dominated the registrations for both September and the first nine months of the year. These were followed by the Vauxhall Vivaro for the YtD but the Ford Ranger beat it to third place in September due to demand for the private and self-employed sectors, where the new plate is more in demand.
