New van registration rose by 22.3% to 12,652 in August, compared to the same period last year, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
The figures are well down on July (24,764), but given the similar like-for-like percentage increase, this appears to be mostly due to regular seasonal effects — perhaps buyers holding back ahead of the September registration change?
UK van and truck registrations: August 2014 and % change on 2013
| August | % change | Year-to-date | % change | Rolling year | % change | |
| Vans | 12,652 | 22.3% | 192,948 | 19.1% | 302,083 | 19.1% |
| Trucks | 2,401 | -22.7% | 22,011 | -22.0% | 50,008 | 12.9% |
| Total | 15,053 | 11.9% | 214,959 | 13.0% | 352,091 | 18.2% |
Source: SMMT (www.smmt.co.uk)
The truck market continues to be lacklustre as last year’s pre-Euro 6 sales surge gradually falls out of the figures, but SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes suggests that van demand could continue to support the commercial vehicle market for the remainder of this year:
“The commercial vehicle market has delivered another strong month overall, driven by an impressive number of van registrations. This reflects growing business confidence in the economy and the variety of highly capable and efficient vans on the market. The truck sector is continuing a downward trend brought about by an influx of orders at the end of 2013 due to incoming Euro-6 standards. There is increasing positivity in the market, however, which should see registrations return to normal levels over the coming months.”
Hot vans
The big volume growth was at the heavier end of the van market, with sales of 2.5t – 3.5t vans rising by 21.8% to 7,403, while sales of vans in the 2.0t – 2.5t range (e.g. Citroen Berlingo) rose by a 32.8% to 2,404, up from 1,810 during August 2013.
Pick-up sales were also strong, rising by 31% to 1,175 units.
As usual, a picture says a thousand words, so here’s the usual excellent graph from the SMMT, showing how van and truck registrations have changed since January 2010:
Rolling year van and truck registrations 2010 – to date (courtesy of SMMT)
As the kids head back to school, it will soon be Christmas, and I suspect many of the UK’s car and van salesmen will be looking forward to bumper bonuses this year.