UK demand for new light commercial vehicles (LCVs) went down by -13.3% in August with 14,365 new vans, pickups and 4x4s joining UK roads, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
The contraction means volumes have fallen every month this year and demand fell across every segment in August. This is generally the smallest-volume month ahead of ‘new plate’ September.
Bucking the trend, from a relatively low base, were battery electric vans (BEVs). There were more than double the number of registrations compared with August last year – with market share at a new monthly record of 13%. While the overall market year to date is -11.4%, new BEV uptake has risen by 59.9%, to comprise 9.1% of the overall market.
Meanwhile, UK new car registrations declined by -2% in August to 82,908 units, during what is normally the quietest month of the year.
Fleet uptake again dominated the month – by share – accounting for 59.1% of all new vehicles reaching the road despite a -4.6% reduction in volumes. Uptake by private buyers grew by a marginal 0.7%, while the business sector rose 41.6%, although this equated to fewer than 500 additional units.
Battery electric vehicle (BEV) registrations are up by 14.9% to reach a market share of 26.5% – the highest this year and the fourth highest on record. This replicates the pattern in 2023 and 2024, where August’s low overall registration volumes and high fleet concentration resulted in significantly larger BEV shares than those recorded across the rest of the year.
BEV growth was only outpaced by plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) uptake, which rose by 69.4% to deliver an 11.8% market share. Hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) uptake, meanwhile, fell by -13.9% to account for 11.4% of the market.
In the first eight months, the new car market is up 2.1% to a five-year peak of 1.265 million – although it still remains -16.7% down on pre-pandemic levels, with BEV share comprising 21.9%.
