2020 van sales drop by a fifth... but a Ford van BEATS the VW Golf!

January 6, 2021

Mirroring the declining 2020 new car market, new van sales fell 20 percent in 2020, a marked decline that resulted in over 73,000 fewer new light commercial vehicles taking to Britain’s roads.

The Society of Motor Manufactures and Traders (SMMT) said things had been looking up towards the end of the year, with three consecutive months of growth, but a disappointing December saw registrations return to the red.

Overall, 292,657 new vans were registered in 2020, the first year to dip below 300k sales since 2013.

“It’s been a truly extraordinary and testing year for the commercial vehicle sector,” said SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes.

“Undeniably the LCV market, having shrunk by a fifth, has a lot of hurdles to overcome as we enter 2021.

“However, investment in fleet renewal will be key to driving recovery, and the sector’s resilience, now coupled with added clarity over UK-EU trading relations and the rollout of vaccines, offers hope for both the van market and the wider economy.”

The cost to the sector of the decline in sales is calculated by the SMMT at some £2 billion in retail value. Demand for small vans and pick-ups was particularly badly hit, down 34.4 percent and 32.7 percent respectively.

Medium vans and large vans were less affected, down 15.6 percent and 16.5 percent – these are the vehicles most commonly used for home deliveries of online orders.

Ford is clear leader

Ford dominated the new van market in 2020, with the Transit Custom commanding a massive 20k margin over the second-placed Mercedes-Benz Sprinter.

Indeed, the Transit Custom also outsold many cars… it actually emerged as Britain’s third best-selling vehicle, ahead of the Volkswagen Golf.

Add in the passenger-friendly Tourneo Custom, and the Ford commercial vehicle range edged up one further place, into second… beaten only by the Ford Fiesta.

The larger Ford Transit and smaller Ford Transit Connect compound Ford’s grip on the UK’s light commercial vehicle sector.

The Ford Ranger was the only double-cab pick-up to make the top 10, while Vauxhall will be hoping for more from the new Vivaro in 2020, given how the British-built model now comes in all-electric Vivaro-e guise.