The majority of the increase came from vans between 1.8 and 3.5- tonnes, which were up 3%, while vans up to 1.8 tonnes were down by 4.2%.

Macgowan added: 'Commercial vehicle registrations are remarkably strong this year, with autumn figures reflecting this spring’s confidence and sales.

'Some sectors are doing better than others, but overall registrations should beat 2004’s annual total and despite recent mixed messages from the market, we think overall registrations will look good well into 2006.'