UK light commercial vehicle (LCV) registrations fell 15.1% in October, with 22,896 vans, pick-ups, and 4x4s registered, according to the latest SMMT data. It marks the first monthly decline in electric van sales in more than a year.
Year-to-date volumes are now down 10.2% to 264,160, reflecting weaker business confidence and ongoing cost pressures. The fall was broad-based: large vans dropped 7%, medium vans 41%, and small vans 23%, though 4x4s saw an 88% rise.
Battery electric vans fell 5.8% to 2,132 units, but their market share edged up to 9.2% as the overall market contracted. BEV volumes remain up 47.4% year-to-date (24,250 units), yet well short of the 16% ZEV mandate target for 2025.
SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes warned that “every lever must be pulled to get the market back on track,” citing grid connection delays of up to 15 years as a major bottleneck for depot electrification.
Forecasts show LCV registrations ending 2025 at 321,000 units, down 8.7% year-on-year, before modest recovery in 2026.
For the latest ZEV mandate data and market outlook, visit SMMT Electric Vehicle Data Hub.