2023 begins with growth of more than quarter

by John Bowman john@blackballmedia.co.uk

NEW LCV registrations rocketed to 22,098 units in January – a 25.8 per cent increase on January 2022, according to latest figures published by the SMMT on February 6.

It was the first rise in new LCV registrations in the UK – Europe’s second-largest van market – since the September plate change last year. However, while full-year growth is expected in 2023, it was 6.2 per cent below pre-pandemic January 2020’s 23,557 units because of the intermittent nature of fleet renewal.

January also saw record deliveries of battery-electric vans for the month – up 53.5 per cent to 993 units. The top-selling LCV was the Ford Transit Custom at 2,787 units, followed by the Volkswagen Transporter (1,428) and Ford Ranger (1,367).