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

Commenting on the figures, Mike Hawes, the SMMT’s chief executive, said:

“August’s registration figures are further evidence of the commercial vehicle sector’s return to form in 2015 after a year of regulatory upheaval. With certainty now restored, fleet renewal patterns are returning to normal, buoyed by the continuing growth in demand for online deliveries.”

I’d certainly second Mr Hawes’ suggestion that things are returning to normal. After years of extended fleet renewal periods and an abnormally strong used market, these distortions are dropping out of the market.

Booming demand for new vans also seems to be helped by the ever-growing home delivery sector and by strong demand from the daily rental sector. As usual, the category which saw the biggest growth last month was the 2.5-3.5t sector, into which fall the Sprinter, Transit, Vivaro and all other medium and large panel vans, of the kind used for deliveries.

Another factor in favour of continued high levels of new registrations is the van rental sector, which rarely keeps vans beyond 24-36 months. Daily van rental took on an enlarged role as a flexible, no-strings provider of vehicles and — effectively — finance during the credit crunch.

My perception is that the rental industry will continue to fulfil this role in better times. Companies have discovered that renting rather than buying can be financially and operationally advantageous, even though the option to buy may now be available. There’s also the fact that budget cuts are easier to make than to undo, so justifying new purchases to replace rented vans may be difficult.