Van registrations increased by 15.1% year-on-year last month, to 27,960 units, resulting in the strongest May sales on record, according to the latest Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders figures.
Year to date, 150,662 vehicles have been registered, which is up 20.7% on the first five months of last year.
The niche 4×4 sector saw the biggest increase in registrations, to 828 units compared to May 2014’s total of 623 vehicles, while the pick-up market increased by 18.8% to 2949 units.
Registrations of vans weighing between 2.5 and 3.5-tonnes increased by 21.0% to 16,669 units, but registrations of vans weighing between 2.0 and 2.5-tonnes fell by 2.5% compared to May last year.
“Van market growth in particular remains robust, with year-to-date registrations up by more than a fifth passing the 150,000 mark in May for the first time on record,” said Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive.
