The UK new light commercial vehicle (LCV) market fell 74.1% year on year to 7,541 units in May as the nationwide coronavirus lockdown continued to impact registrations, according to the latest data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
Mimicking trends seen in the previous month of lockdown, smaller commercial vehicles saw larger drops in demand, with just 741 pickups and 26 4x4s registered in May, down 80.3% and 83.8% respectively.
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Vans weighing 2.0 tonnes or less saw a 84.0% decline and registrations of mid-sized vans weighing more than 2.0-2.5 tonnes fell 78.7%.
Registrations of larger vans weighing 2.5-3.5 tonnes saw a decline of -70.4%, with 5,412 units delivered.
As lockdown has continued for more than two of the first five months of the year, performance year to date has declined 49.6%, with almost half the number of vehicles registered – 78,835 – than in the same period last year.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “While slightly better than April, these figures are still extremely worrying. As more businesses reopen, we are seeing a gradual uptick in fleet renewal orders.
“However, restoring operator confidence to ensure they continue to invest in their fleets is the only way to get more of the latest, cleanest commercial vehicles on our roads. This will be critical not just to the economy but to the resumption of normality for business and society which depends on this sector.”
