Opinion: Winners and losers in the new and used LCV market

By Andy Picton, specialist RV analyst at Glass’s

May recorded a sixth successive month of decline for the UK LCV market. A total of 22,796 new vans, pick-ups and chassis variants took to the country’s roads, marking a 11.8% year on year drop.

The month witnessed demand shrink across all sectors, with the market for LCVs between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight (GVW) once again suffered the biggest drop.

Following a 10% drop in March and a 22.9% fall in April, May saw the sector decline by 14%.

The 14,652 new registrations recorded were 2,390 units fewer than in May 2024.

Despite this, vans of this type remain the most popular, representing over 64.2% of all units registered in the UK.

Demand for vans 2 tonnes GVW and under fell by 7.8%, while vans weighing between 2 and 2.5 tonnes GVW experienced a 9.2% decline.

Meanwhile, the first full month after the BIK taxation changes saw the pick-up sector fall 12.7% with 391 fewer units registered compared to May 2024.

May registrations in detail

Ford occupied two of the three podium places in May through the Transit Custom with 3.365 units, 916 ahead of the Transit on 2,449 units.

The Peugeot Partner finished in third with 1,216 units, with other Stellantis brand models the Citroen Berlingo (688 units) and Vauxhall Vivaro (653 units) finishing in seventh and nineth respectively.

The Toyota Hilux placed fourth with 1,096 units, whilst fifth placed Mercedes-Benz saw 1,064 new Sprinter’s enter service for the first time.

Further down the top 10 the Ford Ranger finished in sixth registering 1,003 units, whilst the Volkswagen Crafter ended up in eighth with 664 units. The Renault Trafic rounded out the top 10 with 646 units.

Top five LCV registrations

YTD 2025		May 2025		May 2024
Ford Transit Custom	20,271	Ford Transit Custom	3,365	Ford Transit Custom	3,189
Ford Transit	11,008	Ford Transit	2,449	Ford Transit	2,505
Ford Ranger	9,366	Peugeot Partner	1,216	Ford Ranger	2,130
Vauxhall Vivaro	5,715	Toyota Hilux	1,096	Renault Trafic	1,358
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter	4,836	Mercedes-Benz Sprinter	1,064	Volkswagen Transporter	1,265

 

Electric van registrations

May marked the eighth consecutive month of increased battery-electric van registrations up to 4.25 tonnes GVW. Compared with 12 months ago, the sector saw a 50% rise, with 1,731 units registered. This equates to a monthly market share of 7.6%, up from 4.5% in May 2024.

BEVs registered so far in 2025 have underlined a positive trend. Year-to-date, 10,509 units have been registered, compared with 7,321 after the first five months of 2024. This represents a 43.5% improvement.

As a result, the overall market share of BEVs has increased to 8.2% from the 5% at the same point last year.

Manufacturers continue to invest heavily in decarbonisation with over 40 different zero-emission models available on the UK market however, BEV uptake is still at just above 50% of the 2025 target. 

In a bid to unlock greater zero-emission demand, an amendment to the derogation for driving 4.25-tonne battery electric and hydrogen vans came into effect on the June 10, allowing them to be driven without the additional five-hours training.

This change also applies to D1 category minibuses when driven by somebody over the age of 21 and for a non-commercial operation such as a charity, school or scout group.

Further consultations are in place to remove the need for tachographs and changes to the MOT testing procedures. 

Although these changes and the recent commitment to fast-track grid connections for data centres, wind farms, and solar projects is a step in the right direction, fleet operators need stronger Government support to prioritise and transform transport depots.

Further investment in LCV-suitable charging infrastructure is also needed, not only at public charging sites, but also at depot and shared hub locations.

Without consistent and efficient local planning, operators will not have the confidence to transition to a zero-emission future.

Top five battery electric LCV registrations up to 4.25t GVW

Manufacturer – May 2025		Range – May 2025			Manufacturer YTD EV Sales			YTD EV Regs as % of Overall Sales
Ford	500	Ford E-Transit Custom		386	Ford	2458		Dacia	100.0
Volkswagen	407	Volkswagen ID Buzz Cargo		343	Volkswagen	2129		Volkswagen	17.9
Vauxhall	220	Vauxhall Vivaro Electric	130		Vauxhall	1790		Maxus	17.5
Citroen	150	Mercedes-Benz eSprinter	101		Peugeot	755		Vauxhall	16.7
Mercedes-Benz	112	Ford E-Transit		91	Mercedes-Benz		612	Nissan	14.6

 

May battery electric registrations in detail

Ford accounted for 28.9% of all new BEVs registered in May. Volkswagen (VW) were second with 23.5%, well ahead of the 12.7% share achieved by Vauxhall in third.

Citroen were next in fourth with an 8.7% market share and Mercedes-Benz were fifth with 6.5%. Further down the list, Renault ended May in sixth with 82 units (4.7%), Maxus in seventh with 79 registrations (4.5%).

Toyota took eighth place, selling 73 units (4.2%), Nissan in ninth with 35 units (2.0%), whilst Peugeot rounded out the top 10 with 28 units (1.6%). 

By range, 22.3% of all new electric vans registered in May were the Ford E-Transit Custom, with the VW ID. Buzz Cargo in second with 19.8%.

Positions six to ten in the electric van rankings were occupied by the Citroen e-Berlingo in sixth with 84 units (4.3%), the VW e-Transporter and Citroen e-Dispatch tied in seventh with 64 units (3.7%), the Renault Kangoo E-Tech ninth with 61 units (3.5%) and the Toyota Proace City Electric in tenth with 48 units (2.8%).

May hybrid registrations in detail

The plug-in hybrid van segment saw Ford, Toyota and Volkswagen register a combined 685 units.

Ford led the pack with 247 Transit Custom plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), 239 Transit Connect and 48 Ranger PHEVs. Toyota followed with 141 Corolla Commercials, while Volkswagen added 10 Caddy PHEVs.

Year-to-date, 3,755 hybrid LCVs have been registered, with Ford claiming a dominant 74.4% share.

Used LCV market overview

With most new LCVs being registered are fleet replacements rather than additional vehicle sales, there are fewer de-fleeted vehicles entering the used arena.

That said, May proved to be another busy month for used vehicle sales, with supply and demand levels more stable.

As always, there are areas of weakness. Low spec 9-seat minibuses are struggling to tempt buyers. Higher mileage stock is also coming under scrutiny, with the trade struggling to turn a profit.

The changes to the benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax laws have resulted in slightly reduced interest for 4x4 pick-ups, especially for higher mileage examples whilst older battery electric vans are proving more popular than newer stock.

May in detail

Vehicle sales dipped for the second month in a row, as concerns over the economy and the stop-start nature of bank holidays have slowed the market.

Although sales were down 8.9% on April, average age and average mileage increased by only 0.6 months and 165 miles respectively. With more under two-year-old stock sold in May, average sales prices remained steady increasing by a nominal £70 overall while first time conversion rates fell by only 0.1% to 79.7% overall.

Year-on-year sales are up over 10% on May last year, whilst sales prices are 6.7% higher and average mileage at 75,491 is nearly 4,050 miles lower than 12 months ago.

Average age is 6.3 months younger than 12 months ago whilst first time conversions are up 13%.

Sales of Euro 6 vehicles remained static with April at 85.2%, while sales of Euro 5 stock fell 0.2% to 12.3%.

Medium vans led demand with 39.1% of sales, followed by small vans (24.4%), and large vans (23.9%).

The 4x4 pick-up sector took 12.6% of the market, but commanded the highest average sales price at £12,384, up 18.1% on May 2024.

Large vans covered more distance than any other vehicle type in May at an average of 83,396 miles, down only 300 miles on April.

May used electric vehicle in detail

Sales of electric vans fell 0.1% to 2.4% of the overall auction market in May.

Their average age fell to 40.8 months, from 44.6 in April and sat 4.7 months below the 45.5-month average seen a year ago.

Mileage dropped sharply to 20,010 miles from 30,019 last month but was still 3.1% higher than in May last year.

First-time conversion rates fell 2.2% to 59.4%, while average sale prices jumped over 13.6% to just over £8,640.

Small electric vans accounted for 35.9% of sales. Highest mileages were covered in the medium van sector, averaging 36,776 miles, with the lowest in the pick-up sector at an average of 5,506 miles.

Large electric vans attained the highest average sales price of £14,500 and for the second month running, achieved a 100% conversion rate.

Used retail market

The number of used vehicles listed for sale in the retail market rose slightly in May, up 0.2% to just over 48,400 units.

Diesel models continued to appeal at 92.1%, while BEVs made up 4.7%, ahead of petrol (2.1%) and plug-in hybrids (0.8%).

Nearly 39% of vehicles listed were priced at £20,000 or more, 36.4% were priced between £10,000 and £20,000, while 19.7% sat in the £5,000 to £10,000 range. Only 5.1% of vehicles were priced below £5,000.

Following the changes to the benefit-in-kind (BIK) taxation rules, nearly 15% of all LCVs available are 4x4 pick-ups.

White vans led in popularity, accounting for just over half of listings.

Grey with 16.7%, black, silver, and blue followed behind. The average vehicle age fell to 56 months, whilst mileage also fell by 3.4% to just under 56,750 miles.