The light commercial vehicle (LCV) market recorded its best-ever November with 31,320 new vans registered, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
The number of vans new to Britain’s roads rose 11.4% on the pre-pandemic average for November, following two previous months of decline.
Growth was recorded in all van classes, excluding those weighing less than or equal to two tonnes, which fell -19.6% to 1,361 units. Growth had been recorded on that class in recent months though, indicating how delivery has been impacted by the supply of semiconductors.
Looking at cars, 115,706 new vehicles were registered in November, an increase of 1.7% on lockdown-hit November 2020 but-31.3% below the pre-pandemic five-year average.
Plug-in vehicle demand continued to grow, however, with battery electric vehicles (BEVs) equating to 18.8% of the market, with 21,726 units – more than double the registrations seen in November 2020. Plug-in hybrid vehicles’ (PHEVs) share of new car sales grew to 9.3% at 10,796 units.
Year-to-date, 1,538,585 new cars have been registered, of which 17.5% have been BEVs or PHEVs, meaning one in six new cars is capable of being plugged in.
