This week SMMT published the latest Motorparc figures for the UK – showing that the number of vehicles on British roads reached its highest ever level in 2024. It’s risen by 1.4% to 41,964,268, of which 5,798,867 are commercial vehicles of vans, trucks and buses – more than ever before.
Van use is at a record level, up 1.8% to 5,102,180 units. Over the last decade, more than one million of these workhorses have been added to UK roads since 2015. Heavy goods vehicle volumes remained almost unchanged, down just -0.1% or 364 units, at 625,509 units. Bus and coach volumes fell by just -0.1% to 71,718 units, although this means that the UK public transport fleet is now the smallest since records began.
Once again buses are leading the charge on decarbonisation, with the number of green buses increasing by 81.8% with 3,494 additional zero emission units last year. Zero emission buses account for almost one in 20 (4.9%) of all buses in use, in comparison zero emission cars make up 3.7% of total cars in use.
Vans, which support businesses across the country, are also increasingly going zero-emission, with battery electric van volumes increasing by 31.6% to 80,476 units – or 1.6% of the parc. With confirmation last week of the end of sale date for vans in 2035 and the ZEV Mandate trajectory of 70% sales quotas in 2030, van manufacturers will be doing all they can to help more operators make the switch. Electric truck use also rose, but overall they account for fewer than 0.1% of the fleet so as the saying goes ‘the only way is up’.
Showcasing that great technology is part of the Commercial Vehicle Show, now just 12 days away, celebrating its 25th anniversary as the UK’s largest trade show for road freight, transport and logistics. This year will feature a fresh conference series with industry experts and leaders across the three days, including the Technical Theatre, offering a programme of ‘Toolbox Talks’, and the Main Theatre. To register to visit this year’s 25th Anniversary CV Show click here: https://the-cv-show-2025.reg.buzz/smmt
