Demand for new vans in July fell slightly, down 0.2%, according to the latest statistics from the SMMT.
4×4 commercial vehicles saw the biggest decline in registrations, falling by 68.2%, while registrations of vans weighing between 2.0-2.5-tonnes dropped by 2.8% and those weighing between 2.5-3.5t fell by 2.2%
Pick-up registrations, however, grew by almost a quarter (24.8%), fuelled by new products, while registrations of vans weighing less than 2.0-tonnes increased by 1.6%.
In total, 24,506 units were registered last year.
After the first seven months of 2016, commercial vehicle registrations are 2.6% ahead of 2015’s January-July figure of 210,950 units, buoyed by a booming pick-up market, which is up by 12.4% year-to-date.
“After a record performance in the first half of the year, it was inevitable that growth would start to level off over the summer. Maintaining business confidence for LCV operators will be critical to this sector’s future performance,” said Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive.