UK van market declines

UK van registrations dropped by 3.1 per cent in 2017, according to figures by the SMMT. The overall light commercial vehicle market fell by 3.6 per cent to 362,149 – the first time it has declined since 2012.

“While the market has slowed in 2017, this was in line with expectations and demand remains at a high level,” said Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive. “In fact, LCV registrations have increased 62.5 per cent since 2010.

“For 2018, however, we expect the economic and political uncertainty to continue to affect the market so government must rebuild business confidence and encourage operators to invest in new vehicles given fleet renewal is fastest way to reduce overall emissions.”