After rising by 11.1% in August, new van registrations rose by 10.3% in September, compared to September 2012, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT). The increase means that van sales are up by 9.6% on the year-to-date.
Truck registrations haven’t fared so well this year, but did rise by 29.7% last month, making me wonder whether truck operators are more prone to plate-change vanity than I would expect! The gain leaves truck registrations down by just 0.1% so far this year, compared to the first nine months of last year.
UK van and truck registrations: 2013 and % change on 2012
| September | % change | Year-to-date | % change | Rolling year | % change | |
| Vans | 43,066 | 10.3% | 205,004 | 9.6% | 257,578 | 4.1% |
| Trucks | 6,131 | 29.7% | 34,352 | -0.1% | 45,683 | -4.2% |
| Total | 49,197 | 12.4% | 239,356 | 8.1% | 303,261 | 2.7% |
Data courtesy of Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (www.smmt.co.uk)
Commenting on the figures, Mike Hawes, who is the SMMT’s chief executive, said that he believes that upcoming Euro 6 emissions legislation for trucks may have played a role in September’s surge in sales:
“Commercial vehicle registrations rose 12.4% in September, with greater confidence and impending Euro 6 legislation producing a strong recovery in truck volumes,” said Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive.
“Encouragingly, van registration levels have stabilised, up around 10% in the month and year-to-date, after a variable year that reacted to model changes and changeable market conditions. Year-to-date truck demand is back to 2012 levels after a slow start to the year and we expect the last quarter to be very strong for the sector.”
The graph below shows how sales have picked up over the summer:
Heavy demand
SMMT divides CV sales into three categories — vans under 3.5t, rigids, and artics. In each of these categories, registration growth was strongest in the heaviest weight category, in numerical terms.
That means that new registrations of vans between 2.5t and 3.5t, rigids over 16t, and 3-axle artics rose strongly last month, suggesting that those sectors of the economy that control the majority of usage of these vehicles (retail, construction and industry) have enough confidence to invest in fleet renewals.
Given that September’s plate change is often linked to a surge in sales, it will be interesting to see if the upwards momentum in registrations carries on through October.