The Ford Transit Custom has held the crown of best-selling van and light commercial vehicle (LCV) in the UK for so long at this point it’s hard to remember when that wasn’t the case. The Blue Oval’s dominant van is Europe’s preferred commercial vehicle of choice, in general, giving it a strong counterpunch when combined with the F-Series lineup in the U.S., after all. The Ford Transit Custom landed on top of the UK’s van/LCV sales charts in January, February, and March to kick off 2025, and that unsurprisingly didn’t change in the month of April, either.
According to new data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the Ford Transit Custom once again ranked atop the UK LCV charts by recording 2,560 sales last month, well ahead of the second-place Ford Transit at 1,630 units sold. The Ford Ranger ranked third with 1,216 sales, giving The Blue Oval a clean podium sweep, which has also typically been the case with each passing month. Year-to-date, the Ford Transit Custom ranks first with 16,906 sales, followed by the Transit (8,559) and Ranger (8,363), too.
Overall, the UK’s LCV market experienced its fifth consecutive month of declines in terms of sales, dropping 14.9 percent to 20,332 units – its worst April performance since 2020, which is at least partially due to the timing of Easter. In terms of individual segments, vans posted a 22.9 percent drop, while medium and small vans a declined by 5.8 and 5.5 percent. However, 4x4s grew by 19.2 percent while pickups rose by 10.2 percent, offsetting those somewhat.
“Five months of shrinking demand for new vans reflects weaker business confidence and a challenging economic environment,” said SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes. “Such conditions discourage fleet upgrades into new zero emission technology, meaning older, more polluting vehicles stay on the road longer. Switching must have clear commercial benefits, so the sector needs bold and assertive action if ambitious mandate targets are to be met. Preferential treatment for grid connections, more affordable energy and consistent local planning – all are needed to make the case for going electric unarguable.”
No Comments yet