The UK new light commercial vehicle (LCV) market has now recorded six straight months of consecutive sales growth after the high-volume month of September, with a notable 5% rise in monthly registration totals year-on-year, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
While the LCV market’s start to 2026 was rather concerning with three months of year-on-year sales declines, registration numbers have picked up since, the SMMT reporting that sales totals for the year are now up 4% when compared the first nine months of 2025.
While overall demand remains positive, market growth continues to be reliant on rising large van registrations, while pickup sales fell sharply once again year-on-year in September. Meanwhile, battery electric van uptake increased by 13% last month to over 4,800 registrations, which the SMMT notes is a September record. That said, demand still isn’t strong enough to meet the annual government-mandated target.
Overall registrations up as pickup sales crater
With new van registrations improving by 5% last month, growth in September was largely fueled by demand for large vans (2.5 to 3.5 tonnes), which increased 11% to over 36,300 registrations. Keep in mind that large van category is already by far the largest in the LCV market, dwarfing demand for small and medium vans and accounting for almost three-quarters (72%) of all new LCV registrations so far in 2026, up from 65% at this point in 2025.
The most dramatic percentage growth per category in Septmber belongs to the 4×4 class, which grew by a huge 221% year-on-year to around 2,100 new registrations, perhaps taking buyers from the pickup sector which is weathering a sharp decline in buyer demand. Pickup registrations fell 54% to around 2,700 registrations. Pickups now account for just 5% of the LCV market, compared with 13% a year ago.
The ongoing weakness follows changes introduced in April 2025 that reclassified double-cab pickups as company cars for Benefit-in-Kind taxation purposes, significantly increasing costs for many business users.
The small van sector (under 2 tonnes) registrations are down by around a fifth when you look at the year at large, with September’s registration total 20% lower than September 2025. Conversely, the medium van category (between 2 to 2.5 tonnes) recorded more monthly sales year-on-year, up 5%.
Another record-breaking month for electric vans overshadowed by distant government targets
Battery electric van (BEV) registrations increased by a 13% in September to over 4,800 units, giving electric vans a monthly market share of 10%, up from 9% in September last year.
The SMMT says manufacturers are investing to drive demand, with more than 40 different BEV models currently available, but reiterates that the proportion of operators switching to electric vans remains significantly adrift of the 24% target set by the government’s Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate.
It is worth noting that BEVs now account for around 11% of the overall LCV market so far in 2026, just surpassing the 10% target the government set back in in 2024.
Diesel remains dominant, representing 83% of September registrations and 82% of the market January-to-September.
Good month, bad month
While the overall market was up by five percentage points in September, not everyone benefitted from increasing demand. Some brands will be celebrating a stronger performance than others.
Those brands of note are Mercedes-Benz and Land Rover – which all managed to improve on their September 2025 registration totals by 49% and 256% respectively. Other above-average performers include Vauxhall, Citroen, Nissan, Fiat, MAN, Renault Trucks, Farizon, GWM and Ineos. These brands outperformed the overall LCV market by at least 10%.
Meanwhile, things were not as positive for Toyota, Maxus, Iveco, KGM, Isuzu and Fuso. All of these brands underachieved against the overall market by at least 10%. It was also a month to forget for Ford, with registrations down 13%. Keep in mind though that Ford is by far and away the biggest van brand in the UK, and while sales are down, the marque still registered over 15,400 new models in September, more than any other brand.
The following brands were about where you’d expect them to be: Peugeot, Volkswagen, Renault, Kia and Isuzu Trucks. All of these brands had results that were within +/- 10% of the overall market.
Sprinter snatches for silver in September
The Ford Transit Custom maintained its position as Britain’s best-selling van in September with 8,900 registrations. No other model could mount a decent challenge to the Ford, with the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter finishing best-of-the-rest last month with over 3,100 registrations.
This is the second month running of what seems to be a sales resurgence for the Sprinter, which holds third in the annual table, behind the Transit Custom and its larger Transit sibling.
The Volkswagen Transporter also recorded strong sales totals in September, as the Volkswagen and Mercedes battle it out for the LCV market’s final sales tally podium place in the annual chart. Other notable top ten finishers in August were the Land Rover Defender and Volkswagen Crafter, with the former now climbing up to eighth in the annual leaderboard.
The Ford Ranger is still the best selling pickup in the UK by a country mile, and despite cratering pickup registrations still holds on to ninth in the yearly sales chart.
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