How Many Commercial Electric Vans Are There in the UK?
How many electric vans are there in the UK? Not nearly enough when you consider the size of the internal combustion engine (ICE) commercial van market. The UK Government expects all new cars and vans to have fully zero emissions at the tailpipe by 2035. That is only eleven years into the future, and we anticipate many changes in the coming years.
In January 2024, new government regulations came into force, requiring 70% of new vans sold in Great Britain to be zero emission by 2030, increasing to the targeted 100% by 2035. What is the current landscape of commercial electric vans in the UK, and what is expected of the future? We share more in this article.
The Rise of Electric Vans in the Transportation Sector
VMS Fleet Management, a leading UK specialist fleet management company, continuously adds electric vans to its fleet. In 2021, the company purchased hundreds of MAXUS eDELIVER 3 and eDELIVER 9 commercial electric vans. At the end of 2023, multiple MAXUS electric commercial vans were added to the fleet of G.Network, a London-based full fibre broadband provider.
The rise of electric vans in the transportation sector is undeniable when one reads the UK Electric Fleets Coalition (UKEFC) 2023 Policy Paper, published in November 2023. UKEFC represents a leading group of UK businesses, including the four largest fleet operators. The UK transportation sector is committed to achieving its net-zero targets.
Current Landscape of Commercial Electric Vans
The current landscape of commercial electric vans is influenced by the ever-expanding clean air zones (CAZs) in cities such as Bradford and Birmingham, as well as the low emission zones (LEZs) in Greater London and Scotland. It becomes costly to pay the daily charges, and companies active in those areas are converting to electric vans.
Many companies are using the government’s plug-in van grant (PIVG) to lower the purchase price of their preferred commercial electric vans, and the grant currently expires on 31 March 2025. Although electric vans are a small percentage of the used van market, sales are growing steadily.
Statistics on Electric Van Sales in the UK
Electric van sales in the UK have been increasing steadily since 2016, according to the registration statistics of the new car and light vehicle registration of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) in the UK. There is, however, enormous growth potential when comparing battery electric vehicle (BEV) to total light commercial vehicle (LCV) registrations for 2016 to 2023. SMMT excluded statistics for some years.
The registration numbers hereunder represent thousands:
| Year | All LCV total | BEV LCVs |
| 2016 | 376 000 | 1 000 |
| 2019 | 366 000 | 3 000 |
| 2022 | 282 000 | 17 000 |
| 2023 | 341 000 | 20 000 |
SMMT notes that electric van sales fell upon the commencement of the UK Government’s zero-emission vehicle mandate. On what will raise demand, they comment as follows: “Maintaining existing purchase incentives and ensuring charge point rollout – including van-specific charging infrastructure – will be essential to help raise demand to the level needed to DELIVER net zero rapidly.”
Future Projections for Electric Vans in the UK
At MAXUS, the future of electric vans in the UK is so bright we launched our eDELIVER 7 model at the 2023 Commercial Vehicle Show. It is a mid-sized electric commercial van with a payload capacity of 1135 kgs, a trailer capacity of 1500 kgs, and an urban range of up to 230 miles. The MAXUS eDELIVER 7 is ideal for a wide range of commercial uses and complements our eDELIVER 3 and eDELIVER 9 models.
What does the SMMT Economics Team say about the 2024 and 2025 outlook for commercial electric vans? They project the electric van share for 2024 is 9.4%, after a 57.6% rise in volumes. In 2025, the share is expected to reach 13.6%, following a 49.7% volume rise on the 2024 outlook.
MAXUS is excited to be part of the UK’s zero-emissions transition and is committed to producing the commercial electric vans, including conversions, that our small and large fleet clients need. How many electric vans are there in the UK? Get in touch with MAXUS today or explore our range of available conversions here.