UK new van market grows for fourth consecutive month in April 2019

The UK new van market experienced another month of growth in April 2019, with registrations up 4.7% in comparison with April 2018 as a strong start to 2019 continues. Our team of experts at Vansdirect takes a closer look!

April new van sales

Statistics released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) have revealed a fourth month of growth for the UK new van market in 2019, following on from a record breaking month in March 2019 which was the best month the market has ever seen.

The market in April 2019 shows an impressive 4.7% growth in comparison with April 2018 and represents the fourth consecutive month of year on year growth for the UK market.

Leading the way last month were small van sales which increased 8.8% in comparison with April 2018, large van sales also enjoyed an increase of 6.9%. Medium van sales remained steady with a 0.1% growth, whilst pick-up sales were the only casualties last month with a slight decrease in registrations of 1.4%.

There were a total of 24,604 registrations made last month.

Vans for sale

SMMT Chief Executive, Mike Hawes spoke of his delight at the fourth consecutive month of growth in 2019, commenting:

"Such a strong start to the year is good news for the sector, drivers and the environment. Getting more of the latest, low emission models onto our roads is the fastest way to tackle climate change and improve air quality, and with modern vehicles also featuring sophisticated safety and comfort features, and a raft of attractive deals on offer, there's never been a better time to invest in a new van."

New van registrations

Ford vans again led the way in April, with the two best-selling new vans of last month and four of the top ten. Taking top spot in April 2019 was again the Ford Transit Custom, whilst the Ford Transit van also cemented second spot in the table. The Mercedes Sprinter van moved up one place to take the final podium place, replacing the Volkswagen Transporter van which fell to fourth place in the table.

Fifth, sixth and seventh places in the table in April were taken by three sister vans from PSA in the form of the Vauxhall Combo, Peugeot Partner and Citroen Berlingo vans respectively. The Vauxhall Combo was a new top ten entry last month, whilst the Peugeot Partner occupied the same sixth spot as March and the Citroen Berlingo van moved up one place from March.

In eighth spot, another of the excellent Ford vans range, the Ford Transit Connect moved up one place from March 2019, whilst the Ford Ranger dropped four places to take ninth spot in the table. Taking the final spot in the top ten charts was the Volkswagen Crafter, taking the spot occupied by the Renault Trafic van in March 2019. There was no place in the top ten for the Vauxhall Vivaro van which was the seventh best-selling new van of March, as buyers await the all-new Vauxhall Vivaro van!

New vans for sale

Get your brand new vans direct from Vansdirect! We have a HUGE range of vans for sale and cheap van finance options available including van leasing, contract hire and hire purchase! Interested? Simply fill in a contact form or call us on 0800 169 69 95 to get the ball rolling today!