12:03 pm, May 4, 2023
The LCV market enjoyed its fourth straight month of growth in April with 22,665 sales, the SMMT said today.
Registrations grew by 4.9 per cent, regaining ground on pre-pandemic levels.
A total of 109,937 new LCVs have been registered during the year to date, said the industry body – 13.7 per cent down on pre-pandemic 2019’s January-April figure of 127,347.
The sector’s transition towards zero-emission vehicles received a boost with a 62.6 per cent increase in battery-electric vehicle (BEV) uptake – an uplift to 1,494 units and a market share of 6.6 per cent.
However, with BEV registrations for the year to date broadly in line with overall market growth at 14.8 per cent, BEV market share for 2023 remains static at 5.4 per cent.
And with operators continuing to face challenging conditions such as high energy costs, the SMMT has revised its anticipated BEV market share for 2023 downwards from 8.6 per cent to 7.4 per cent.
It also pointed out once again what it labelled ‘the paucity of dedicated infrastructure’ plus delays to grid connections that together were inhibiting the ability to make the switch.
But although it said the economic situation was still challenging, supply chain disruption was easing, leading it to revise its overall market growth outlook for 2023 upwards from January’s 14 per cent to 15.4 per cent, with 326,000 new LCV registrations predicted by the end of the year.
April’s Top 10 sellers
- Ford Transit Custom (pictured) – 2,295
- Ford Transit – 1,792
- Vauxhall Vivaro – 1,469
- Citroen Berlingo – 1,273
- Ford Ranger – 1,054
- Mercedes-Benz Sprinter – 1,046
- Peugeot Partner – 1,041
- Renault Trafic – 996
- Volkswagen Transporter – 949
- Peugeot Expert – 884
Source: SMMT
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: ‘Four months of growth signals recovery is in sight for the van market, with easing supply chain issues raising confidence and boosting the overall market outlook.
‘Ongoing economic uncertainty, however, must be addressed to help sustain and expand EV uptake.
‘To ensure green growth that decarbonises the UK, the ever-growing choice of electric vans delivered by manufacturers must be backed by the right infrastructure and incentives so more businesses can confidently make the switch.’
