Good news to start the month today, as the latest data today from SMMT shows that the van market returned to growth again – just – in August. While a 1.7% rise might not seem large, it does mean the market’s had its best August since 2021 and reverses two months of a summer slowdown.
However, it’s a caveated celebration. Lest we forget, August is a ‘quiet’ month for van purchases, as many businesses – much like consumers in the car market – choose to invest in their fleets during the new plate month of September. Therefore, drawing conclusions on the overall market on August alone can be fraught with pitfalls. The month we’re now in will be the one that sets the tone for the rest of 2024.
Challenges particularly remain around our zero emission transition. Year to date, market share for ZEVs, including those in the 3.5-4.25t range, is now down to 5.1%. That’s barely more than half of the 10% target set for the end of the year under the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate, underscoring just how important it is to inspire more businesses to make the switch over the coming months, and indeed, years.
It’s great that the van market continues to grow overall – but we need action to give operators confidence by maintaining current fiscal incentives and accelerating deployment of van-specific chargepoints. After five months of falls in BEV uptake, we need to see what September brings – and what action we need to take to ensure we can deliver on our shared net zero goals.
