New van sales vans fell in February, by 4.3%, the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders have revealed.
Unusually, the largest volume sector, and the one that has been driving growth over the last few months – the 2.5-3.5t category – fell by 1.3% to 8,753 units, though this still represents 65.8% of the new van parc.
The only growth in the market came from light vans, weighing between 2.0-2.5t, which rose by 9.0% to 2,156 units.
Pick-up registrations remained exactly the same as 12 months ago, on 1,350 units, while demand for vans weighing less than 2.0-tonnes dropped by 28.5% to 1,015 units.
The Ford Transit Custom topped the registration charts for the month, followed by the Transit, and the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter completed the podium.
“February is typically a quiet month as buyers look ahead to the March plate-change and, following the rapidly growing levels of demand we’ve seen over the past two years, a decline is not unexpected. The sector remains in good health and, barring any shocks to business confidence, we expect demand to remain strong over the coming months,” said Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive.
