New van market shows small decline in March

New van registrations experienced a decline in demand in March 2018, following on from an impressive February where registrations increased by 6.4 percent. Vansdirect reveals all!

Statistics released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) have revealed a decrease of 5.6% in new van registrations in March 2018 in comparison with March 2017. Despite the decrease, a total of 59,764 new vans were registered last month, in comparison with 63,316 over the same period in 2017, as a large number of customers tucked in to new 18-plate vans.

New van registrations

The decrease in March follows an increase of 6.4 percent in February 2018. SMMT Chief Executive, Mike Hawes displayed some concern, but some understanding of the fluctuating market:

"A decline in the important plate change month of March is a concern and we need the right economic conditions to restore market stability and encourage buyers to invest in new commercial vehicles. The new van market is a key barometer of business confidence and while uncertainty remains, a degree of fluctuation in demand is to be expected this year."

Pick-ups were the largest beneficiaries last month, showing a 6.8% increase in demand in March 2018, small vans also enjoyed a smaller increase last month of 1.8%. Remaining consistent were medium vans; experiencing a small decline of 2% in new van registrations last month, with large vans being the biggest casualties with a 10.5% decline in comparison with March 2017. Despite the decline, 36,027 new large vans were registered last month.

March's best-selling new vans

The top ten selling new vans from last month saw some alterations from the previous month, however the top two remained the same, Ford vans again took both first and second in the table, with the Ford Transit Custom and Ford Transit respectively. The Mercedes Sprinter fell a staggering seven places from third to tenth in the table last month, with UK buyers opting to wait for the new model to become available. The large Mercedes van was replaced by the Volkswagen Transporter in third place, moving up one place. Also moving up one place were the Peugeot Partner, Ford Transit Connect and Ford Ranger in fourth, fifth and seventh places in the table respectively.

The Vauxhall Vivaro enjoyed a fruitful month in March, moving up three places to sixth best-selling new van last month. The top ten table was completed by the Citroen Berlingo in eighth (down one place last month) and a new top ten entry in ninth, the Nissan Navara outlining the excellent month for new pick-up vans. There was no place in the top ten for March from the Peugeot Boxer, which dropped from tenth place out of the top ten last month. Peugeot vans will be hoping that the Boxer can bounce back in style in April!

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