Battery electric van (BEV) uptake achieved its best ever October this year, up 58.0% to 3,369 registrations and a 12.9% market share, according to the latest figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). This makes the year-to-date share 11.0%.
Overall, the new LCV market grew 11.4% in October with 25,510 vans, pickups and 4x4s joining the road. The performance delivered the market’s seventh consecutive month of growth with year-to-date volumes up 4.8% to 276,885 registrations.
Large vans continued to deliver the bulk of volume growth, up 12.9% to 18,560 units in October – representing 72.8% of the overall market – while medium vans rose by 14.3% to 3,825 units. 4x4s achieved the largest percentage increase, more than doubling (up 104.3%) to 899 units. There were declines, however, with small van deliveries down -11.7% to 462 units and pickup registrations falling -17.7% to 1,764 units. Pickup demand remains far weaker across the year, down -52.9% on the same period in 2025 after tax changes to treat double-cabs as cars for benefit-in-kind and capital allowance purposes.
The latest industry outlook for the overall new LCV market expects 4.2% growth to 329,000 units this year, with BEVs weighing up to 3.5 tonnes achieving a 10.4% share – 13.6 percentage points off the 24% mandated target. Further BEV growth is expected in the medium term, reaching a 14.9% share in 2027 and 18.8% in 2028, but still less than half the respective 34% and 46% annual targets, with the gap only widening.
The SMMT says that the government’s mandate review must deliver significant change and do so urgently to enable a more realistic trajectory.
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said: "Seven months of new van market growth reflects a slight recovery in buyer confidence after 2025, but the fragility of this confidence makes the EV transition particularly tough to deliver. While electric van uptake is accelerating rapidly, demand remains far behind the optimistic and unrealistic expectations of the mandate. Government’s review must provide clear and meaningful trajectory change before the year ends, not marginal tinkering, to avoid damaging the market, and the businesses and economic growth which depend on this sector."
