Electric vans take 12.9% of UK van sales in October as the ZEV mandate target for 2026 stands at 24%
UK van registrations rose 11.4% to 25,510 in October and battery electric vans reached 12.9%, but SMMT expects 2026 to finish 13.6 points below the 24% target.
UK new van registrations rose 11.4% to 25,510 in October, with battery electric vans at 12.9% of the market against a 24% mandate target for 2026.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said it was the seventh month of growth in a row. Year-to-date volume is up 4.8% to 276,885, from 264,158 a year earlier.
Battery electric registrations climbed 58.0% to 3,369, from 2,132 in October 2025, the best October on record. Year to date they total 30,728, up 26.7%, for an 11.0% share against 9.1% a year earlier.
SMMT’s battery electric count follows the Vehicle Emissions Trading Scheme, under which electric vehicles of 3.5 to 4.25 tonnes count towards each manufacturer’s target alongside those up to 3.5 tonnes.
For the full year, SMMT expects the market to grow 4.2% to 329,000 units, with battery electric vans up to 3.5 tonnes reaching a 10.4% share. That is 13.6 percentage points off the 24% mandated target.
The gap is forecast to widen. SMMT expects shares of 14.9% in 2027 and 18.8% in 2028, against targets of 34% and 46%, which it described as less than half of each.
SMMT said more than 40 zero emission models now meet most operator needs, and that the Plug-in Van Grant and Depot Charging Scheme have supported buyers. It added that manufacturers “have been forced to provide heavy discounts to avoid even more punitive ZEV Mandate compliance costs”.
Large vans of 2.5 to 3.5 tonnes supplied most of the growth, up 12.9% to 18,560 and 72.8% of the market. Medium vans rose 14.3% to 3,825, while small vans fell 11.7% to 462.
Pickups moved the other way, down 17.7% to 1,764 from 2,143. Year to date they are down 52.9% to 14,936 from 31,731, after double-cab pickups were treated as cars for benefit-in-kind and capital allowance purposes from 6 April 2025.
Brand figures in SMMT’s registration data show Ford registered 6,501 vans in October, down from 8,513, and its share of the market fell from 37.18% to 25.48%. Mercedes rose 60.28% to 2,369, a 9.29% share against 6.46%.
Four-by-fours more than doubled, up 104.3% to 899 from 440.
Within the wider electric vehicle and charging picture, SMMT also pressed for faster public charging suited to vans. It said lengthy waits for depot grid connections “must be addressed and deserve prioritisation under plans for GB Grid”.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said van demand “remains far behind the optimistic and unrealistic expectations of the mandate”.
Hawes said the government’s review of the mandate must deliver a clear and meaningful change of trajectory before the year ends, “not marginal tinkering”.
More on EVs & Charging
- SMMT reports UK car registrations up 5.4% to 152,730 in October as BEV share hits 32.0% against 33% target
- Review for DfT puts public EV charging at 17p to 20p a mile, against 2p at home and 22p for petrol
- Treasury sets up taskforce to test home electricity tariffs at slow EV chargers and adds £100m from 2027
- Budget sets aside £100m to cut prices at lower-powered public EV chargers from spring 2027
