One in ten vehicles on the road is a van
The number of vans on Britain’s roads has been rising more than 2.5 times quicker than cars.
Between 2002 and 2012, the number of vans increased by 29% to 3.3 million.
Over the same period the number of cars rose by 11% to 28.7 million.
Every tenth vehicle on the road is now a light commercial vehicle (LCV).
Over the same decade the number of lorries (heavy goods vehicles or HGVs) on British roads fell by 5% to 460,000.
The highest percentage change in van ownership over that period was seen in the North East, followed by the South West and Wales. This is the full table:
The RAC Foundation commissioned a report from the consultancy company AECOM to try and better understand what has been happening with van traffic. It shows that:
- In Europe only France, Spain and Italy have more vans registered than Britain
- Van traffic in Britain is predicted to almost double by 2040
- 95% of vans are diesel powered
- 20% of vans change hands each year
- 3% of vans (112,000) are 20 or more years older
- Almost one in two (44%) of UK registered vans visit London each year
