Commercial Vehicles Highest-Ever Proportion of UK Roads

Article courtesy of www.rha.uk.net

The latest figures publicized by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show that vans, trucks, buses, and coaches have reached the highest-ever proportion of vehicles on the road, with commercial vehicles accounting for more than one in eight vehicles in service.

A total of 5,483,319 vans, trucks, buses, and coaches were recorded in operation at the end of 2021, a 4.1% upsurge from the prior year.
Operational vehicles now comprise 13.5% of the 40,506,971-strong nationwide fleet following a bumper year for van registrations and a return to growth for trucks and buses.

Vans remain the most favored class of commercial vehicles in operation, comprising 4,804,833 units, up 4.3% from 2020.2 The segment has enjoyed successive maturation since 2010 but fleet renewal has slowed. The average van on UK roads is now a record 8.7 years old, although there are noteworthy regional variations. The youngest vans can be found in the North East, averaging 7.1 years old, while Wales is home to the oldest, with the average van dating back to 2011. While these vehicles are essential for keeping Britain’s economy on the move, renewing them with the latest low and zero-emission models will be crucial if we are to deliver the country’s green dreams.

HGV numbers returned to growth after last year’s decline, increasing 2.5% to 604,035 units. This was driven by significant growth in new registrations (up by 12.9%), but also retention of units already in service. However, the parc is still -0.7% off its 2019 peak.

Truck electrification is also emerging, with 313 units in operation – less than 0.1% of the total fleet – with the recently announced government demonstration program of zero-emission truck use having the potential to give operators greater confidence to invest in the latest technology. At present, some 98.8% of trucks are registered as running on diesel, although a proportion of these vehicles may be using alternative lower-emission drop-in fuels.