Electric vans sales buck market to grow 55% in one month
Electric van sales jumped in February to take almost 10% of the market, marking their fifth month of growth, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
The latest data from the trade body showed a dramatic increase of 55% compared with the previous month and a more marginal year-on-year growth of 5%. SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said the data was positive news but insisted more needed to be done to support businesses to make a transition to electric vans.
While February’s figures are a marked improvement on January’s there were still only 1,413 new electric vans up to 4.25 tonnes registered, and the 9.7% market share is still some way short of the 16% set out under the ZEV mandate.
Despite the 9.7% market share, sales of light EV vans are still falling short of the mandated 16% for 2025. As such, the SMMT urges the government to improve van-specific charging infrastructure, re-introduce discounted Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) on zero emissions vehicles (ZEVs) and bolster consumer across the sector in general.
“Zero emission uptake is positive but still struggles to match the ambition of regulation,” said SMMT chief executive, Mike Hawes. “While the ongoing Plug-in Van Grant provides a lifeline, we still need support to bolster operator confidence, boost demand, and deliver decarbonisation.”
The SMMT said the recent positive trajectory for light electric van sales can be attributed to several factors including the government’s Plug-in Van Grant, which has just been extended by another 12 months and offers discounts to buyers of between £2,500 and £5,000. Moreover, the choice of all-electric vans is broad with up to 30 models currently available on the market.
While light EV van sales were up, the entire market fell by 19.3% to 14,476 units registered; its third consecutive monthly decline, and the lowest outturn since 2020. February, however, is traditionally a low volume month as many operators and dealer postpone sales and purchases until the arrival of the new March number plate the following month.
The positive trajectory of light EV van sales is reflective of the entire UK EV sector at the start of 2025. In February, the SMMT reported that electric cars took a 25% market share, compaered with 17.7% in February 2024. Moreover, Zapmap announced that the UK had hit the milestone of 75,000 countrywide public EV chargers, with further improvements expected to be made during the second half of the year.
