As we approach the end of 2024, would you like to know which are the UK’s bestselling large vans? Curious about how electric vans are selling? These were the top 10 most popular vans in the UK in October 2024, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
October is never as popular a month for new vehicle sales as September, with the former’s registrations driven by the plate change. However, this October was a successful one for van sellers, being the best of its kind for three years, with an overall increase in registrations of 2.4% versus 2023.
Smaller vans were the reason for the rise in registrations in the light commercial vehicle market, with sales of vans weighing under two tons and between two and 2.5 tons both seeing increases year-on-year. Vans weighing 2.0 to 2.5-tonnes registered a notable 49.6% growth while sales of the smallest vans increased 55.9%.
These were the only increases in the sector, with large vans weighing between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes seeing a 2.7% fall in numbers. The pickup truck and 4x4 markets both saw drops in their results, too, by 18.9% and 62% respectively.
There was a change to the recent trend when it came to electric vans, though, with demand increasing for the first time in five months. There was a 61.8% rise in registrations, accounting for 8.4% of the market in the month. This isn’t enough to drastically drag up the annual EV sales figures, though, with the year-to-date still sitting 1.9% down on 2023. The overall market share is just 5.6%, some way short of the government’s zero emission vehicles mandate
What the industry says
SMMT chief executive, Mike Hawes, said: ‘The continued growth in demand for new vans is encouraging given this sector is a barometer of the health of Britain’s businesses. Industry has invested huge sums delivering cutting-edge technology, including zero emission vehicles, but low demand raises serious doubt over the ability of the UK to achieve its ambitious green targets.
‘There must be an urgent review of the market, regulation and support in place, else the cost will soon be felt in reduced UK investment, economic growth, jobs and decarbonisation.’
Below, you’ll see the UK’s top 10 most popular vans in October 2024, in reverse order. You’ll also find full year data for the years 2018 to 2023, so you can see what the most popular vans and pickups were in those years.
All this is useful because it means you can see which vans make the most sense to other businesses, so they may also make the most sense for you. What’s more, it gives you an idea of the most available used vans of a particular age.
Top 10 bestselling vans and pickups October 2024
10. Volkswagen Crafter (839 sold)
The Volkswagen Crafter is a multiple former Parkers Award winner and a big favourite with us. It has a well-thought-out cabin, is great to drive and has a strong set of engines. It is much more modern than some of its large-van rivals, too, with some excellent tech on offer. The 2025 facelift keeps the outside entirely unchanged but brings in some interior upgrades, mainly to the tech.
It’s a shame that it won’t come with an electric version until the new model arrives but it is proving popular with buyers nonetheless.
Find a VW Crafter for sale near you
9. Vauxhall Vivaro (895 sold)
The latest Vauxhall Vivaro is still proudly built in Britain, even though Vauxhall is now part of the massive Stellantis group of companies. Cousin to the Citroen Dispatch, Peugeot Expert and Toyota Proace, it can carry vast amounts of payload, offers great fuel economy and is now also available in Vivaro Electric form.
Find a Vauxhall Vivaro for sale near you
8. Renault Trafic (1,065 sold)
The Renault Trafic last had a major update in 2022, with loads of new safety features and a new look helping to keep it fresh and maintaining its appeal.. The medium-sized van has some strong contenders in its class, though, with the Ford Transit Custom and VW Transporter to name but two, but it has plenty in its favour. A new E-Tech electric version has since joined the range, matching its major rivals in that sense.
Find a Renault Trafic for sale near you
7. Peugeot Expert (1,175 sold)
The Peugeot Expert is one of five vans to offer the same fundamental shape with a few tweaks to badging and trim, sharing most elements with the Citroen Dispatch, Fiat Scudo, Toyota Proace and Vauxhall Vivaro. The cabin is not the best in the class, but the payloads and driving experience are excellent. There is also an electric version, which offers a lot of the same benefits as the standard van but without the need to keep it topped up with diesel.
2024 brought a series of changes to all of Stellantis’ vans, but the medium-sized models’ updates were relatively small versus the small and large models, with the visual upgrades the most notable.
Find a Peugeot Expert for sale near you
6. Vauxhall Combo (1,287 sold)
The Vauxhall Combo is a great small van. Its biggest problem is that it is almost exactly the same as the equally great and almost identical vans from Citroen, Fiat, Peugeot and Toyota. Vauxhall has lots of dealers, though. If one of those is nearby then that could well be all the reason you need for picking a Combo over its siblings. It’s a great van so that’s as a good a reason as any to choose it over the closely-related alternatives.
Find a Vauxhall Combo for sale near you
5. Ford Ranger (1,407 sold)
The latest Ford Ranger has picked up where the previous version left off, as one of the UK’s most popular pickup trucks. It has moved the game on significantly from its predecessor, being excellent to drive, comfortable and well equipped inside, and offering a wide range of practicality. There are loads of versions to choose from, too, including the outrageous Ford Ranger Raptor.
Find a Ford Ranger for sale near you
4. Mercedes-Benz Sprinter (1,553 sold)
The Mercedes Sprinter continues to set incredible standards that make it one of the best large vans you can buy. The cutting-edge on-board technology that’s now included only adds to its appeal. Popular particularly in the delivery industry, it has exceptional reliability and the Mercedes eSprinter electric van has a good driving range compared with rivals.
Find a Mercedes Sprinter for sale near you
3. Peugeot Partner (1,821 sold)
The Peugeot Partner is one of five nigh identical vans, sharing much with equivalents at Citroen, Vauxhall, Toyota and Fiat. However, it is the only one to have something that sets it apart from the others – a smaller steering wheel as part of a setup dubbed the i-Cockpit. This will suit some better than others, but the rest of the van is otherwise the same as the rest of the quintet – practical, good to drive and boasting a strong electric version.
Find a Peugeot Partner for sale near you
2. Ford Transit (2,921 sold)
The Ford Transit is the household name for vans in the UK. This latest version has increased payload, upgraded engines, a revised interior and even more technology. It remains easy to drive, comfortable, and there are plenty of specialist dealers around to keep you on the road. It’s also setting new standards for electric vans, with the Ford E-Transit the best out there by a country mile.
Find a Ford Transit for sale near you
1. Ford Transit Custom (3,400 sold)
The new Ford Transit Custom only went on sale in late 2023 but it’s very much business as usual for the brand’s sales team as it takes up where the old one left off at the top of the charts. This all-new model is a notable improvement over all of its rivals and its predecessor, which made it our 2024 Parkers Commercial Vehicle of the Year.
Find a Ford Transit Custom for sale near you
Bestselling vans and pickups of 2023
This table shows the bestselling vans and pickup for all of 2023:
| Sales position | Model | Number sold | Parkers review link |
| 1 | Ford Transit Custom | 40,865 | Ford Transit Custom review |
| 2 | Ford Transit | 28,280 | Ford Transit review |
| 3 | Vauxhall Vivaro | 20,477 | Vauxhall Vivaro review |
| 4 | Ford Ranger | 18,679 | Ford Ranger review |
| 5 | VW Transporter | 17,487 | VW Transporter review |
| 6 | Renault Trafic | 16,041 | Renault Trafic review |
| 7 | Mercedes Sprinter | 15,799 | Mercedes Sprinter review |
| 8 | Citroen Berlingo | 14,065 | Citroen Berlingo review |
| 9 | Toyota Hilux | 10,888 | Toyota Hilux review |
| 10 | Ford Transit Connect | 10,856 | Ford Transit Connect review |
Bestselling vans and pickups of 2022
This table shows the bestselling vans and pickup for all of 2022:
| Sales position | Model | Number sold | Parkers review link |
| 1 | Ford Transit Custom | 42,215 | Ford Transit Custom review |
| 2 | Ford Transit | 33,203 | Ford Transit review |
| 3 | Mercedes Sprinter | 17,034 | Mercedes Sprinter review |
| 4 | Vauxhall Vivaro | 16,830 | Vauxhall Vivaro review |
| 5 | Ford Ranger | 16,827 | Ford Ranger review |
| 6 | VW Transporter | 15,164 | VW Transporter review |
| 7 | Ford Transit Connect | 8,218 | Ford Transit Connect review |
| 8 | Peugeot Expert | 8,131 | Peugeot Expert review |
| 9 | Renault Trafic | 8,085 | Renault Trafic review |
| 10 | VW Crafter | 7,455 | VW Crafter review |
Bestselling vans and pickups of 2021
This table shows the most popular vans and pickups for all of 2021:
| Sales position | Model | Number sold | Parkers review link |
| 1 | Ford Transit Custom | 49,671 | Ford Transit Custom review |
| 2 | Ford Transit | 31,083 | Ford Transit review |
| 3 | Mercedes Sprinter | 20,862 | Mercedes Sprinter review |
| 4 | VW Transporter | 20,033 | VW Transporter review |
| 5 | Ford Ranger | 16,376 | Ford Ranger review |
| 6 | Vauxhall Vivaro | 16,004 | Vauxhall Vivaro review |
| 7 | Citroen Berlingo | 11,109 | Citroen Berlingo review |
| 8 | Ford Transit Connect | 11,001 | Ford Transit Connect review |
| 9 | Peugeot Partner | 10,553 | Peugeot Partner review |
| 10 | Vauxhall Combo | 9,886 | Vauxhall Combo review |
Bestselling vans and pickups of 2020
The most popular vans and pickups of 2020 in a table.
| Sales position | Model | Number sold | Parkers review link |
| 1 | Ford Transit Custom | 43,551 | Ford Transit Custom review |
| 2 | Mercedes Sprinter | 23,506 | Mercedes Sprinter review |
| 3 | Ford Transit | 21,724 | Ford Transit review |
| 4 | VW Transporter | 15,856 | VW Transporter review |
| 5 | Vauxhall Vivaro | 15,530 | Vauxhall Vivaro review |
| 6 | Ford Ranger | 13,097 | Ford Ranger review |
| 7 | Citroen Berlingo | 12,159 | Citroen Berlingo review |
| 8 | Ford Transit Connect | 11,344 | Ford Transit Connect review |
| 9 | Peugeot Partner | 11,174 | Peugeot Partner review |
| 10 | Vauxhall Combo | 11,118 | Vauxhall Combo review |
Bestselling vans and pickups of 2019
This is the top 10 list of the bestselling vans (and pickups) of 2019 in total.
| Sales position | Model | Number sold | Parkers review link |
| 1 | Ford Transit Custom | 52,512 | Ford Transit Custom review |
| 2 | Ford Transit | 26,237 | Ford Transit review |
| 3 | Mercedes Sprinter | 25,862 | Mercedes Sprinter review |
| 4 | VW Transporter | 19,608 | VW Transporter review |
| 5 | Vauxhall Vivaro | 18,029 | Vauxhall Vivaro review |
| 6 | Ford Ranger | 16,459 | Ford Ranger review |
| 7 | Ford Transit Connect | 15,477 | Ford Transit Connect review |
| 8 | Peugeot Partner | 14,605 | Peugeot Partner review |
| 9 | Citroen Berlingo | 13,492 | Citroen Berlingo review |
| 10 | Vauxhall Combo | 12,944 | Vauxhall Combo review |
Bestselling vans and pickups of 2018
This is the top 10 list of the most popular vans (and pickups) in all of 2018.
| Sales position | Model | Number sold | Parkers review link |
| 1 | Ford Transit Custom | 54,806 | Ford Transit Custom review |
| 2 | Ford Transit | 32,694 | Ford Transit review |
| 3 | VW Transporter | 21,763 | VW Transporter review |
| 4 | Mercedes Sprinter | 21,278 | Mercedes Sprinter review |
| 5 | Vauxhall Vivaro | 19,232 | Vauxhall Vivaro review |
| 6 | Ford Transit Connect | 17,495 | Ford Transit Connect review |
| 7 | Ford Ranger | 16,440 | Ford Ranger review |
| 8 | Peugeot Partner | 15,056 | Peugeot Partner review |
| 9 | Citroen Berlingo | 13,428 | Citroen Berlingo review |
| 10 | Peugeot Boxer | 11,731 | Peugeot Boxer review |
