UK LIGHT commercial vehicle (LCV) registrations grew by 7.1% in July following four months of double-digit declines, with more than 27,000 vans registered in the first full month since lockdown restrictions eased.
Growth was particularly pronounced in medium-sized vans weighing greater than 2.0 to 2.5 tonnes, which saw an 12.0% increase in registrations. Heavy vans made up the lion’s share of overall sales, with 17,566 registrations, an increase of 5.4%.
The improvement comes against a backdrop of prolonged reduced demand, with overall LCV registrations down by 39.0% in the year to date. The latest SMMT Outlook estimates that around 270,000 LCVs will be registered by the end of the year, a drop of 26.3% from 2019.
