But, according to the SMMT, the market remained 11.7% down over the first five months compared to the corresponding period in 2011 with 97,500 units sold.
SMMT boss Paul Everitt said: “It’s too early to know if the change in fortunes for the van market is a sign of things to come but it’s a welcome sign of increased confidence across the commercial vehicle sector.”
Sales of small and light vans weighing up to 2.0-tonnes increased 11.6% to 3331 in May and the heavy van sector was up by just over 9% to 12,387.
There was a more modest rise in sales of 2.0-2.5-tonners, up 0.7% to 2867, and pick-up sales dipped 7.3% to 1841. The niche 4×4 segment grew 10.6% to 490 units.
Market leader Ford along with Peugeot, Citroen and Mercedes posted sales rises in May but the big winner was Fiat, which grew volumes by 27.5%.
Volkswagen, Vauxhall, Renault and Nissan on the other hand saw sales drop year-on-year.
