Greatest 2025 performance for new electric LCVs in the UK
10 December 2025
Registrations of light-commercial vehicles (LCVs) in the UK declined for a full year in November. But amid the falling volumes, electric vans have found their stride. Andy Picton, specialist residual value analyst at Glass’s, reviews the figures with Autovista24 journalist Tom Hooker.
November marked the 12th consecutive month of decline for the UK’s new LCV market. Registrations fell by 22.2% year on year, with 23,570 new vans, pickups and chassis variants leaving forecourts. This translated to a drop of 6,730 units from November 2024, SMMT data showed. From January to November, 287,728 LCVs were registered in the UK, down 11.4% on the same period one year ago.
Set against a backdrop of falling business confidence and a tough economic environment, LCV demand was low across all sectors. The pickup market recorded a 34.8% decline in November. Meanwhile, deliveries of vans under 2 tonnes gross vehicle weight (GVW) fell by 53.8%.
LCVs weighing between 2 and 2.5 tonnes GVW saw volumes slump by 20.5% compared to the same month last year. Vans and chassis weighing between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes GVW suffered a 19.7% delivery drop. The sector recorded 16,463 new registrations, 4,041 units less than 12 months prior. However, LCVs weighing between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes GVW still made up 69.8% of all units registered in the UK during November.
Ford and VW fill LCV top three
Ford recorded another positive month, with the UK’s two best-selling LCV models. The Transit Custom led the pack with 3,926 deliveries, followed by the Transit, which posted 2,650 registrations.
The duo also held the top two positions in the cumulative standings. The Transit Custom recorded 46,221 units, some distance ahead of the Transit with 28,081 deliveries. The Ford Ranger was third with 16,495 registrations, meaning the brand has dominated the UK LCV market so far this year.
Meanwhile, in the monthly table, the Volkswagen (VW) Transporter took third place with 1,202 units. The Ford Ranger came fourth with 986 deliveries, just four units ahead of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter in fifth.
Sixth was the Peugeot Expert with 931 registrations, ahead of the VW Crafter with 898 units. The Vauxhall Combo secured eighth thanks to 893 deliveries. In ninth and 10th were the VW Caddy and the Renault Trafic, with 714 and 711 units, respectively.
Double-digit electric LCV increase
November marked a return to positivity for battery-electric van registrations up to 4.25 tonnes GVW. A total of 2,909 units were registered during the month, a 25.3% increase compared to 12 months prior. This resulted in a 12.3% market share in November, the highest so far in 2025.
From January to November, 27,159 fully-electric LCVs took to the UK’s roads. This translated to a 44.7% surge year on year. Battery-electric vans captured 9.4% of the overall LCV volumes, up from a 5.8% share during the same period in 2024.
This increase in share comes as the overall LCV market declines. Even so, the share of fully-electric models remains well below the required 16% zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) Mandate target for 2025. It is also far behind the demanding 24% target share set for 2026.
Growing LCV fleet pressure
Fleets are under growing pressure to accelerate their transition plans. Yet, the UK Government confirmed in April that internal-combustion engine LCVs can continue to be sold until 2035. This means that customers are now more inclined to delay any battery-electric van purchases.
This may be due to doubts over vehicles being fit for purpose, purchase costs or a lack of suitable infrastructure. Across surveyed countries, over 70% of fleets are not considering the use of a battery-electric van within the next three years, according to the 2025 Arval Mobility Observatory Barometer.
The reason behind this hesitancy is complicated. Most vans with basic payload requirements have already been converted to battery electric technology. The majority of models with predictable low daily mileages and a back-to-base set-up have also switched to fully-electric.
What is left are the complex cases. These are vans that must carry heavy equipment, tow trailers or generators. Alternatively, they may have specialist equipment fitted, such as cradles or winches, or operate off-road. These vehicles require customised conversions, adding more cost to an already expensive base vehicle.
Peugeot’s perfect November
Peugeot accounted for more than a quarter of all new battery-electric vans registered in November. VW followed close behind with 24.2% of the market. Ford sat third, thanks to a 19.1% share.
Fourth was Renault, with a 7.4% share. Toyota represented 6.8% of fully-electric LCV deliveries, trailed by Mercedes-Benz with a 6.3% market hold. Maxus landed seventh, and Citroën captured eighth, with a 3.6% and 3.5% share, respectively. Vauxhall took ninth after making up 1.1% of battery-electric van registrations last month. Nissan rounded out the top 10 with a 0.8% market share.
Peugeot’s position as the top brand was helped by its e-Expert model becoming the best-selling battery-electric van in November. It represented 20.5% of fully-electric LCV volumes. Ford’s E-Transit Custom came second with a 14.8% share. Then came two VW models. The ID. Buzz Cargo took third, making up 12.8% of overall deliveries, ahead of the VW e-Transporter. The Toyota Proace City Electric closed out the top five.
The Peugeot e-Partner did not see the same success as its brand sibling. The model secured sixth with a 4.8% share of the fully-electric LCV market. Seventh went to the Renault Trafic E-Tech, accounting for 3.8% of total volumes.
Then came the Ford Transit E-Courier in eighth, taking a 3.6% share. The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter landed ninth thanks to a 2.5% market hold. 10th went to the Maxus eDeliver 9, also making up 2.5% of overall registrations.
After 11 months of 2025, Ford leads the UK’s battery-electric van market. The manufacturer registered 7,570 new models across three different product ranges, equating to a 27.9% market share. Second was VW, with 5,530 units over two product ranges, providing the brand with a 20.4% hold. Peugeot sat third with 3,125 deliveries across four product ranges, giving the marque an 11.5% share.
Ford leads PHEV LCVs
The plug-in hybrid (PHEV) van segment saw Ford, LEVC, Toyota and VW register a combined 1,411 units. Ford led the way with 763 Transit Custom, 247 Ranger and 108 Transit Connect PHEV models. Toyota followed with 211 Corolla Commercials. Then came VW with 79 Caddy PHEVs, while LEVC added three VN5 plug-in hybrid vans.
From January to November, a total of 11,031 plug-in hybrid LCVs were taken to UK roads. During this period, Ford dominated the segment, with a 77.3% share.
Positive used LCV demand
Demand for used LCVs remained positive during November. Buyers were out in numbers to snap up the best stock, including both diesel and electric models.
Vehicles in retail-ready condition and supported by a full-service history were in short supply. Buyers were willing to pay a premium to take ownership of these LCVs. Meanwhile, those with in-house repair facilities were prepared to bid on damaged vehicles, provided the reserves set were realistic.
Similarly, there was also a growing tolerance of older and higher-mileage vehicles if the asking price matched their condition. Elsewhere, medium and large vans, as well as chassis variants, received plenty of interest. The best examples saw strong transaction prices paid.
The overall used LCV market remains well-balanced. This trend looks set to continue through at least the first quarter of 2026.
Falling LCV auction sales
In November, the number of auction LCV sales fell by 15.7%. Average age increased by 2.5 months to 80.4 months, the highest watermark since November 2024. Meanwhile, average mileage rose 1,545 miles (2,486km) during the month to 76,940 miles. First-time conversion rates dropped to 86.1% overall. However, average sales prices increased by just over 1% in the month to just over £7,825 (€8,952).
Year-on-year, sales were up 7.1%, as average sales prices increased by 15%. Average mileage over the last 12 months fell by nearly 2,900 miles. The average age was 2.9 months younger than in November 2024, and first-time conversions increased by 3.4 percentage points (pp).
Sales of Euro 6 LCVs fell by 3.1pp to 74.9% month on month. Meanwhile, sales of Euro 5 models rose 2.4pp to 22.4%. Medium vans led demand with 37.3% share of overall sales, followed by small vans with a 28% market hold.
Large vans made up just 23.8% total transactions. However, models in this sector covered more distance than any other vehicle type in November at an average of 93,610 miles. This was up nearly 4,700 miles on the previous month.
The 4×4 pickup sector took 10.9% of the market, an increase of 1.1pp on October. The segment commanded the highest average sales price at over £14,925.
Improving used electric LCV transactions
Sales of electric vans rose by 17.4% in November. The average age of full-electric models sold fell by 1.9 months to 31.7 months. This was 18 months younger than 12 months prior.
Average mileage decreased by 3,627 miles to 15,669 miles. This equated to a 35.5% decrease compared to November 2024. First-time conversion rates rose from 61.4% to 72.5% for the month. Average sale prices also increased, with a 15.6% uptick to just over £11,000.
The medium van sector accounted for over 63% of all-electric LCV sales in November. Small vans represented just over 30% of total transactions, and the large van sector made up nearly 6%. The highest mileages were covered in the large van sector, averaging nearly 25,000 miles. Conversely, the lowest were recorded in the medium van sector, at just under 14,200 miles.
Medium electric vans attained the highest average sales price at just under £12,750. The body type also achieved the highest first-time conversion rate of 77.3%. Just over 55% of fully-electric vans sold in November were between two and four years old.
Retail activity drops
The number of used LCVs listed for sale in the retail market fell by over 4% in November. Most of the vehicles on sale were diesel, with the powertrain making up 89.9% of the total.
Battery-electric LCVs accounted for 5.4% of overall transactions. This was ahead of petrol’s 2.3% share and PHEV’s 2.4% hold. LCVs with manual transmission represented 67% of sales, and automatic transmissions captured 33% of transactions.
