E-van market share grows despite shrinking market

New electric van data shows that December was a disappointing month for van sales, and electric vans were sadly no exception. Despite this, E-vans continued their steady growth over the last few months, claiming 8% of the overall market last month.

This is a trend seen throughout the entire year. Whilst the overall market shrank in 2022, the E-vans accounted for 6% of registrations this year, up from 4% last year. A total of 16,846 E-vans were registered, compared to 12,185 – an impressive rise given the shrinking market.

This data is from green motoring consultancy New AutoMotive’s Electric Van Count (EVC), the same organisation that release the Electric Car Count – the most up-to-date and comprehensive electric car sales data in the UK.

Ciara Cook, Research and Policy Officer at New AutoMotive, says, “The electric van market has shown resilience in a month which saw just under 8,000 fewer vans registered compared to figures from last year.

“For the fifth time this year electric vans have surpassed the level of market share proposed as an initial target in the forthcoming ZEV Mandate, which is slated to start this time next year. This is progress – but it demonstrates just how out of date and out of touch with the market these proposals now are. It is imperative that the government takes note of the progress achieved this year and revises the target upwards, or else the mandate risks holding the industry back.

“It is important that the gains that electric vans have made in the market over 2022 continue to be consolidated and improved upon in 2023. This means that the government must continue to offer support to businesses thinking of switching to an E-van. Prioritising the grants offered to those seeking to make the switch, as well as continuing to offer support to businesses during the ongoing energy crisis, is crucial to continuing to encourage the uptake of electric vans.”

UK market overview

Electric van’s share of the market remained largely steady compared to figures from last year. However, there was a slight decline in the actual volume of E-vans registered year-on-year. This was a trend seen across all fuel types, with the largest fall seen in new diesel vehicles, with a drop of just under 7,000 vans. 2022 has seen the contractions in the van marketplace hit new diesel sales the hardest, however in December figures show all fuel types suffering from the overall shrink in new van registrations.

The race for EV market share

The top manufacturers for December are Vauxhall, Peugeot, and Mercedes, accounting for 66% of all E-vans registered this month. Only Vauxhall, who accounted for one in three E-van purchases, managed to improve the total number of EVs registered year-on-year. Mercedes took the biggest hit in sales, with a reduction of 79% compared to last year’s figures.

The brands that are quickest to electrify

As we have come to expect, Maxus top this table. 68% of their sales this month were electric, up from just 11% last year. They are also the manufacturer that has seen the most improvement year-on-year. Of the larger volume manufacturers, Vauxhall comes in second with around one in three vehicles being electric. Mercedes continues their bad run of form, with only 10% of registrations being electric – a 52% decrease in figures from last year.

UK market overview: 2022

2022 has been a tough year, and many households and businesses have had to cut costs in the midst of a generational cost of living and energy crisis. Given this, it is no surprise that new van registrations have suffered. 268,586 new vans were registered in the UK over 2022, down 21% from registrations in 2021. Crucially, this is lower than sales figures for 2020, when COVID-19 lockdowns severely affected the market. All eyes will be on whether the van market can recover over the course of 2023.