UK light commercial vehicle registrations rose 10.8% in September, marking the first month of growth in 2022.

Uptake of fully electric vans was up 70.0% in September

September is one of the most popular months of the year for new van registrations due to the plate change and a total of 34,950 LCVs were registered last month.

The rise in registrations was driven by delivery of medium and large vans. Orders for vans over 2.5 tonnes were up 13.9% to represent 73.8% of the market, while registrations of vans over 2.0 tonnes and up to 2.5 tonnes rose by 40.8%. But the small van sector was down 21.5%.

Uptake of battery electric vehicles (BEV) continued to rise, climbing 70.0% and gaining a 4.4% of the market – up from 2.9% in 2021. For the first nine months of the year, BEV volumes increased by 52.9% year on year and commanded a 5.3% share.

However, while the figures show signs that component shortages are starting to ease for some manufacturers, the SMMT warned that supply issues continue to hit the market. Its data also shows September’s performance was artificially inflated in comparison with 2021, which saw the fewest registrations for the month since the 2009 recession. Last month was still some 35.5% below the five-year pre-pandemic average.

The auto trade body is calling for long-term measures that shore up operator confidence amid wider economic uncertainty – it says action is crucial to accelerate uptake of the latest, greenest vans and support a zero-emission future.

Mike Hawes, chief executive, commented: “While the full recovery of Britain’s new van market remains some way off, September growth reflects van makers’ efforts to fulfil strong order books despite a paucity of supply. High energy costs and wider economic uncertainty, however, will undermine operator confidence, meaning that long-term measures to provide stability and growth are needed if the sector – so often a bellwether for business activity – is to return to its past success.”