A grand total of 29,784 new vans hit the roads in November — a 20-year high — according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

A 43% surge in registrations of vans in the 2.0-2.5t weight bracket drove the gains in total registrations, but much of this gain was offset by falls in other segments. Total van registrations were only 2.5% higher than in November 2015:

November 2016 monthly LCV registrations (Source: SMMT)

What’s more, I’d hazard a guess that a 43% increase in registrations of 2.0-2.5t vans corresponds to the delivery of a major fleet order. Perhaps Royal Mail, for example. Registrations of 2.0-2.5t vans are down by 4.2% so far this year, so I don’t think this has suddenly become a fast-growing segment of the market.

November 2016 year-to-date LCV registrations (source: SMMT)

Indeed, only two classes of LCV have seen growth across the year so far. Pickups, which are up by 15% to 43,875 units, and 2.5t-3.5t vans, registrations of which are up 7% to 216,046. Interestingly, registrations of big vans (2.5-3.5t) actually fell slightly last month.

It’s probably too early to say whether any of these figures signify changing trends. Comments from Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, certainly seem to suggest that he’s unclear about the outlook:

“The new van market’s growth in November is welcome news and an encouraging sign of ongoing business confidence. With almost 350,000 light commercials registered so far this year, the sector remains on track to beat 2015’s record-breaking performance. For this success to continue in 2017 and beyond, however, it is essential that the economic conditions that have kept this sector so buoyant in recent years are maintained.”

One thing we can be sure of is that Ford maintained its stranglehold on the LCV market last month. The group sold more than twice as many vans as second-placed Volkswagen:

Source: SMMT (www.smmt.co.uk)