In the first half of the year registrations were up 24.2% to 133,238 compared to the same period in 2010.
SMMT boss Paul Everitt said: “June saw the 17th successive monthly rise for new van registrations, up by 13% in the month, demonstrating business confidence and commitment in the commercial vehicle market.”
The SMMT said the light commercial vehicle sector had recovered strongly from the depths of recession and that the underlying van registration volume was back to 250,000 units a year – compared to an annual average of 265,000 between 1996 and 2010.
Pick-up sales rose 18% to 2121 in June, light van sales grew almost 24% to 4874, heavy van sales were up 12% to 12,322 but the medium van sector dipped 0.3% to 2956.
Market leader Ford, Vauxhall and Renault enjoyed a strong June but Volkswagen, Fiat and Toyota saw sales fall sharply.
