For a very long time, commercial fleets in the UK have gravitated toward the Ford Transit Custom and Ford Transit, which have long ranked first and second on that country’s light commercial vehicle (LCV) sales charts – as well as representing the top two best-selling vans, too. That has thus far continued to be the case through the course of 2024, as most recently, the Ford Transit ranked second on the LCV sales charts in September. Now that October has passed, it reveals that not much changed over the course of the past month, either.
According to new data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT), the Ford Transit was the second best-selling van and light commercial vehicle overall in the UK last month after recording 2,921 sales – once again ranking it behind only the Transit Custom and its 3,400 units moved. The same is true of year-to-date sales, as the Transit Custom remains in first place with 38,917 units sold through the first 10 months of the year, with the Ford Transit sitting in second place at 26,438 units.
As for the overall LCV market, its sales increased by 2.4 percent month-over-month to 26,974 units, its best October result in three years, as well as the third consecutive month of overall market growth. That uptick was fueled by small and medium vans, which were up 55.9 percent and 49.6 percent to 683 and 5,688 units, respectively, while large vans were down 2.7 percent to 17,683 units, and pickups and 4x4s also declined, by 18.9 percent and 62 percent to 2,686 and 234 units, respectively. All-electric van sales rose for the first time in five months as well, by 61.8 percent to 2,263 units.
“The continued growth in demand for new vans is encouraging given this sector is a barometer of the health of Britain’s businesses,” said Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive. “Industry has invested huge sums delivering cutting-edge technology, including zero emission vehicles, but low demand raises serious doubt over the ability of the UK to achieve its ambitious green targets. There must be an urgent review of the market, regulation and support in place, else the cost will soon be felt in reduced UK investment, economic growth, jobs and decarbonization.”
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