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Van Traffic Increases Over the Past Twelve Months

Light Commercial Vehicles covered more miles in the last 12 months than they did pre-pandemic, according to new figures from the AA.

Vans made up 18% of all road traffic by miles travelled, second only to cars in overall volume.

In sheer numbers, vans accounted for 58.7 billion miles travelled between July 2023 and June 2024, up 1.9% from 57.6 billion the previous period. This a 10.4% increase on pre-covid levels (52.5 billion miles).

Vans account for 11% of all road vehicles, with 4.8 million vans registered in 2024. Much of this increase is down to home delivery services, which picked up during the pandemic and has continued to grow since. A greater proportion of people are also getting their groceries delivered to their homes, adding to the number of vans on the road.

There has been a rise in electric vans, with many fleets having one eye on the upcoming Zero Emissions Mandate. In 2019, there were around 8,000 electric vans, and this has grown to over 73,500 units in June 2024. While this may seem an impressive increase, electric vans still only hold around 5% of the market share; a number which has recently been falling.

Jack Cousens, AA head of roads policy, said: “From plumbers to painters, from carpenters to couriers, the van continues to be the workhorse of Britain.

“We have become a nation of sofa shoppers who want the item in our hands the next day or sooner, which has led to a rise in self-employed delivery drivers, and retail companies expanding their fleets.

He added: “There has been much talk about the ZEV mandate for cars, but it also applies to vans.

“Manufacturers are increasing their output of electric LGVs so that more companies can deliver goods and services. This is particularly important in urban areas where the ambition that last mile delivery is as green as possible.”