January turned out to be a lacklustre month for the UK’s light commercial vehicle (LCV) market, wherein dealers registered a total of 19,050 new vans and light commercials. This resulted in a -20.5% decline. This is a considerable drop from the LCV market’s generally strong 2024 figures. Within the January decline, heavier van registrations saw a drop. Popular sized vans, 2.5-3.5t, dropped from 14,839 units to 11,537 units, a -22.3% decrease. A larger decline was seen regarding 2.0-2.5t vans, with a drop to 3,507 units from the previous 5,040, a fall of -30.4%. Meanwhile, registrations for battery electric commercials increased by 13%, representing 7.6% of the total market share. Sue Robinson, Chief Executive of the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), cited January’s figures as disappointing, particularly because the 2.5-3.5t van segment accounts for over 60% of all sub-3.5 tonne commercial sales and largely consists of bulky vehicles used for delivering consumer goods which can be a useful indicator of market confidence. Robinson credited the 7.6% market share for BEV commercials, however noted that it remains well below the 16% Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate target for LCVs this year. This is particularly notable as fines for non-compliant vans are set to double from £9,000 to £18,000. She added that the government needs to expand the availability of size appropriate charging points for commercial vehicles. These are essential to incentivise LCV operators to make the transition to ZEV without placing them at a disadvantage. The beginning of the year’s figures for the LCV market reflects challenges in transitioning to EVs. January is often a traditionally quieter month, and does tend to post weaker sales as it sits between an end of year boom and the plate change month of March.