Rocketing UK van sales have driven a record half year for the commercial vehicles market.
Van registrations for June climbed 16% to 35,742 units, contributing to the best-ever year-to-date figures of 186,404, up 20%.
The figures also reversed a slowing of the market in May, to 15% growth.
With truck registrations also climbing 42% in June, the market is currently buoyant.
SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes admits that the record half-year total for commercial vehicle registrations is not unexpected, given the significant gains being made in the van market.
“Registrations of vans have been increasing strongly for some time, underpinned by economic confidence among large and small businesses, as well as the growing trend for home deliveries,” Hawes says.
“The significant rise in truck registrations in June mirrors the sector’s performance in the year so far as it readjusts from the regulatory changes of 2014, while once again it was the heavier vehicles in van, artic and rigid segments that posted the largest rises,” he adds.
The biggest volume sector of the van market, the 2.5 to 3.5-tonne category, has shown some of the strongest growth, up 24 per cent in June, with 21,693 vehicles registered.
Ford continues to lead the van market, the 9,787 vehicles registered giving the blue oval 27% of the market in June, compared to 26% a year ago.
Volkswagen is second on 4,444 registrations, 12.4%, followed by Vauxhall (4,123, 11.5%), Mercedes (3,645, 10.2%), Citroen (2,753, 7.7%) and Peugeot (2,642, 7.4%).
