New and used UK LCV markets decline in March
15 April 2026
The UK’s light-commercial vehicle (LCV) markets struggled through a difficult March. Registrations dipped while used supply disappointed. Andy Picton, specialist residual value analyst at Glass’s, considers the trends with Autovista24 editor Tom Geggus.
LCV registrations took a year-on-year tumble of 3.4% in March, according to the SMMT. In total, 49,505 new vans, chassis, pickups and 4x4s hit the UK’s roads. Although it was a new plate month, this was the weakest March since 2023. It reflects a tough economic environment which lacks business confidence, ultimately affecting fleet investment.
Pickups and vans under 2 tonnes gross vehicle weight (GVW) saw deliveries plummet by 54% and 53.8%, respectively. Demand for LCVs weighing between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes GVW sector grew by 8.7%. The 34,805 units accounted for 70.3% of LCV registrations during the month. The 4×4 sector and vans between 2 and 2.5 tonnes GVW also recorded increases of 41.3% and 2.3%, respectively.
UK’s LCV leader
March saw Ford claim three of the top 10 positions in the UK’s new LCV market. The Transit Custom came first, followed by the Transit, with 7,715 units and 3,667 units, respectively. The Ford Ranger pickup came in eighth, with 2,094 units.
The Peugeot Partner claimed third with 2,896 units. Fellow Stellantis models, the Vauxhall Vivaro and Citroën Berlingo. finished sixth and 10th, respectively, with 2,490 units and 1,356 units. The Renault Trafic ended the month in fourth with 2,826 units, and the Volkswagen (VW) Transporter fifth with 2,822 units. The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter claimed seventh with 2,405 units, and the Land Rover Defender ninth with 1,473 units.
Electric LCV market
Battery-electric van registrations up to 4.25 tonnes GVW tumbled by 15.9% in March. The 3,543 units registered resulted in a monthly market share of 7.1%, down from 8.2% in March 2025.
Diesel made up 85.6% of all LCVs registered last month. This highlights the challenge facing manufacturers and operators in transitioning to zero-emission fleets amid infrastructure, cost and operational constraints. Until this improves, the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) will remain gradual rather than rapid.
From January to March, 7,396 electric units have been registered. This is up by 4.3% on the 7,092 units registered at the end of the first quarter last year. This 9% market share is well below the ZEV mandate target set for 2026.
Incentives such as the extension of the Plug-in Van Grant and the new Depot Charging Scheme are making little inroads on the 24% mandated target. Recent increases in fuel costs have added another layer of cost and complexity that fleets could do without.
Electric van performance by brand
In March, VW accounted for roughly a third of registrations of battery-electric vans weighing 3.5 tonnes GVW and under. Ford followed behind with a 22.3% share, while the third-place Kia PV5 pushed hard with a 22.1% hold. Some distance behind was Toyota, making up 4.8% of registrations, followed by Mercedes-Benz in fifth with a 4.2% share.
Vauxhall claimed sixth with a 3% hold and 100 units. Meanwhile, Maxus accounted for 2.8% of deliveries with 93 registrations in seventh. Renault ended March in eighth, selling 81 units and taking a 2.5% share. Citroën claimed ninth with 61 units and a 1.9% hold. Fellow Stellantis brand Peugeot rounded out the top 10 with 33 units, accounting for 1% of overall volumes.
By range, the all-new Kia PV5 accounted for 22.1% of electric van registrations weighing 3.5 tonnes GVW and under. The VW ID.Buzz Cargo followed with 21.1%. The Ford E-Transit Custom and e-Transporter finished third and fourth with shares of 13.9% and 11.6%, respectively.
The Ford E-Transit Courier finished fifth with 259 units, capturing 7.9% of total registrations. It was followed by Toyota Proace City Electric in sixth with 119 units and a 3.6% hold. The Mercedes-Benz eCitan claimed seventh with 111 units, translating to a 3.4% share.
The Vauxhall Vivaro Electric was eighth with 90 units, as it made up 2.7% of overall deliveries. The Maxus eDeliver 5 was ninth with 65 units, representing 2% of the market. Finally, the Citroën e-Berlingo rounded off the top 10 with 53 units and a 1.6% hold.
The plug-in hybrid (PHEV) van segment saw five different manufacturers register a combined 3,160 units. Ford led the way, delivering 1,572 Transit Customs, 842 Rangers and 245 Transit Connect PHEVs. Toyota delivered 307 Corolla Commercials, while VW’s Caddy van recorded 191 registrations. LEVC registered two VN5s, and Dacia delivered one new Duster Cargo PHEV van.
After the first quarter, Ford claimed a dominant 83.2% PHEV market share out of the 5,233 LCVs registered. Toyota followed with a 10.2% share, and then VW with 6.5%.
Shortage of used stock
The suggested influx of de-fleeted stock following the March plate change has not yet materialised, leaving a shortage of used ready-to-retail stock. Increased fuel costs have seen many operators hold on to their current vehicles for now. This has resulted in a shortage of retail-quality stock, especially those with a full-service history.
With a ready supply of used internal-combustion-engine-powered stock across all ages, many operators continue to favour traditional powertrains. However, there has been a noticeable increase in the availability of used electric LCVs at auction of late. Older, more sensibly priced offerings have been finding new homes.
Auction footfall and online activity remained relatively high, with many traders willing to pay a premium for the right stock. That said, March was a quieter month with a 12.5% year-on-year fall in vehicles sold at auction.
Stock age remains static
The average age of sold stock remained static in March. There was only a 0.2-month improvement to 69.7 months while average mileage fell from 76,580 miles to 73,206 miles. Average paid sales prices fell nominally by 0.6% over the month. However, first-time conversion rates improved 2.2 percentage points (pp) to 79.2%.
Euro 6 vehicles accounted for 85.5% of used sales, while Euro 5 made up 10.8%, down from 13.2%. Medium vans led demand with 40.8% of sales, followed by large vans with 29.1%, and small vans with 19.4%. The 4×4 pickup sector took 10.7% of the market, down 1.8pp on February. This sector commanded the highest average sales price at just under £14,500 (€16,659). This was a near £2,000 increase on the average paid in February.
Large vans covered more distance than any other LCV type in March at an average of 84,734 miles, up over 6,300 miles on the previous month. The small van sector returned the highest first-time conversion rate at 84.2%. Meanwhile, the lowest was achieved in the 4×4 sector at 71.8%.
Older electric vans selling
Sales of used electric vans increased by 2% in March. Average sold stock age increased dramatically, rising 30.2 months to 69.5 months. 46.5% of used electric vans sold in March were over six years of age.
At the same time, average mileage increased from 21,010 miles to 51,166 miles. This older age-mileage profile resulted in the average sale price falling 32.4% from roughly £8,700 to just under £5,900. However, first-time conversion rates improved from 72.7% to 74.3%.
Sales were spread relatively evenly between small, medium and large LCVs. Medium vans made up for 35.6% of all transactions in the month, as small vans represented 33.7% of sales. The large van sector took a 30.7% share of transactions.
The highest mileages were covered in the large van sector, averaging over 81,500 miles. The lowest distances were covered by small vans at just under 35,300 miles. Medium-sized electric vans attained the highest average sales price over £7,700. Meanwhile, the highest first-time conversion rate of 88.2% was achieved in the small van sector.
Small retail dip
The number of used vehicles observed for sale in the retail market fell by 0.9% in March to just over 41,150 units. Diesel models made up the bulk of those on sale at 89.6%, with battery-electric LCVs accounting for 6.3%. This was ahead of PHEVs and petrol with shares of 2.3% and 1.8%, respectively. LCVs with manual gearboxes accounted for 66% of retail sales.
Panel vans accounted for 55.6% of all LCVs on sale, 13.7% were 4×4 pickups, and 9.1% were crew vans. Minibuses made up 4.2%, and dropsides took a 1.8% share. Then came tippers, which represented 1.7% of the market, as Luton vans recorded a 1.6% hold.
Of all the LCVs on sale, 40.1% had mileages of 30,000 miles or less, 29.2% had mileages between 30,000 miles and 70,000 miles, while 13.6% had mileages above 100,000 miles.
In total, 42.5% of vehicles listed were priced at £20,000 or more, 38.1% were between £10,000 and £20,000. Meanwhile, 15.5% sat in the £5,000 to £10,000 range. Those priced below £5,000 accounted for 3.9%. Just over 25.9% of all adverts showed the vehicle on sale for a price inclusive of VAT.
White vans led in popularity, accounting for 48.3% of all listings. Grey made up 18.1%, black took a 10.3% share, and silver recorded a 9.7% hold. Blue vans represented 6.4% of all transactions, while red managed a 2.1% share. The average vehicle age for March decreased by 3 months to 52 months, while average mileage fell by 5.6% to roughly 52,500 miles.
