In Europe and the UK, commercial customers have long gravitated toward vans as their fleet vehicle of choice, and in that segment, Ford has long dominated its competition as well. The Blue Oval continues to beat its rivals in terms of commercial van sales in Europe and the UK, in fact, and that’s particularly true of the Ford Transit Custom, which has been the best-selling van and light commercial vehicle (LCV) in the UK for a long time now. Unsurprisingly, that trend continued through the final month of 2024 as well.
The Ford Transit Custom topped the UK’s best-selling LCV sales charts in November and held a commanding lead in terms of year-to-date sales through that month, and according to new data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT), that success continued in December 2024 as well. Last month, the Ford Transit Custom once again ranked first with 3,715 sales, beating the second-place Vauxhall Vivaro by nearly 2,000 units. The Transit Custom also took the crown as the best-selling van and LCV in 2024 as a whole with a dominant 46,967 sales – a little over 15k more than the second-place Transit, joining the Ford Puma, which was the UK’s best-selling new vehicle overall in 2024.
As for the overall UK LCV market, it rose by three percent to to 351,834 units in 2024 thanks to 27,221 new LCV registrations in December alone – its performance since 2021. In terms of individual segments, large vans increased by 2.1 percent to a 66.3 percent market share, while small/medium vans grew by 12.3 percent to account for 44.5 of the market, though 4x4s declined by 9.7 percent and pickups dropped by 8.3 percent. As for EV vans, sales grew by 3.3 percent, though they accounted for just 6.3 percent of the market – the same as 2023.
“Vans, 4x4s, and pickups keep businesses everywhere on the move, making this sector a barometer of the UK economy,” said Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive. “The best overall volume in three years, therefore, is good news with van makers striving to deliver abundant and competitive EV choice. Buyer confidence, however, will inevitably be undermined when charging infrastructure does not meet the needs of fleet operations. A review of EV regulation is crucial, therefore, to reflect current market realities and ensure ambitions are deliverable, without any negative and costly consequences.”
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