Van registrations rose by 43% in April, compared to the same period last year, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). This now means that van registrations have grown by 17.6% during the year-to-date:

UK van and truck registrations: 2013 and % change on 2012

Data courtesy of SMMT (www.smmt.co.uk)

The data are encouraging, but as Nigel Base, SMMT Commercial Vehicle Manager, explains, there are still question marks over the health of the wider economy:

“The CV market saw further growth in April, up almost 40%, but it’s a mixed picture across the different vehicle types. A lift in van demand is contributing to growth across the overall market, but truck registrations continue to decline. This could be symptomatic of operators holding-off on buying vehicles in anticipation of new Euro 6 legislation coming into play later this year as well as wider economic challenges impacting the road transport sector.”

Breakdown by size

As the table below shows, the growth in registrations has not been evenly distributed across the range of vans and other commercial vehicles. In percentage terms, pick-ups (up 73.6%) and vans between 2.0t and 2.5t (up 97.3%) have seen the biggest growth, but numerically, the biggest increase was provided by a 37.8% rise in registrations in the 2.5t – 3.5t sector, where sales rose to 12,056 from 8,746 in April 2012.

Data courtesy of SMMT.

Trucks in decline

Truck registrations have continued to decline and rigid registrations were down by 9.7% in April, during which artic registrations fell by 16.4%. The decline in rigids over 16t was particularly large, at 19.8% — given that such vehicles tend to be used for distribution and construction work, this could reflect a weakness lack of growth in the retail and construction sectors.

What’s next?

April’s rise in van registrations marks the third consecutive month of gains for this most essential class of vehicle. After the disappointment of 2012, which saw van registrations end the year down by 7.9%, it’s good to see some signs of growth — although I’m not holding my breath for a wider economic recovery just yet.