Ford has long dominated the UK’s light commercial vehicle (LCV) market. The Ford Transit Custom continues to lead the charge among tradespeople overseas, landing itself on top of the sales charts once again in February 2025, but its big brother, the Ford Transit, isn’t far behind. In fact, the van slotted in third in last month’s sales figures.
According to the latest data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the Ford Transit moved 1,154 units during February 2025, tailing the Ford Transit Custom with 2,361 sales and the Vauxhall Vivaro with 1,331 sales. The Ford Ranger rounded up fourth place with 1,041 sales and the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter slotted in fifth with 935 sales reported last month.
It’s worth noting that the Vivaro gained some ground last month, though. It dethroned the Ford Transit as the second-best selling van month-over-month, but slots in fourth in year-to-date sales so far in 2025. The Transit Custom still holds the top spot with 5,089 sales. The Ford Transit is a distant second with 2,889 sales so far this year, followed by the Ranger’s 2,846 sales and the Vivaro’s 2,101 sales.
Overall, the LCV market in the UK slipped in February 2025. Demand in the segment nosedived 19.3 percent, with just 14,476 units sold during February. Last month was the third consecutive month during which sales declined, representing the segment’s worst performance since 2020 when 14,401 LCV registrations were recorded.
The sale of medium vans slipped 33 percent (2,119 sales), larger vans dropped 19 percent (9,962), while 4X4s and pickups experienced a 45.7 and 4.8 percent slide, respectively. Small vans experienced the only positive growth in the segment, increasing 55.9 percent to 427 units.
However, the segment-wide decline isn’t completely unprecedented. February is typically a slower month as buyers often hold out on buying a new van until the new March number plate arrives.
“Against an increasingly difficult economic backdrop, van manufacturers have shown resilience, but the decline was perhaps inevitable after two years of strong performance,” said Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive.
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