- Much in the same fashion as electric car sales in the UK, battery-electric vans (below 4.25 tonnes) have recorded their best ever month of sales in the UK, with 4,215 such vehicles sold across the month of March – that’s according to new statistics from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
- The sales figure compares to 3,044 fully-electric vans sold in March 2024, marking an impressive 40.3% year-on-year rise in sales.
- In the same period, sales of diesel-powered vans saw a 8.2% year-on-year decline, with units down from 48,576 in March 2024 to 44,587 in March 2025.
Electric van sales are on the rise in the UK
In the year-to-date, electric vans have accounted for 8.3% of total van market share. While this shows that diesel vans still continue to outsell their electric alternatives in significant numbers, these rising figures for electric van sales indicate that this trend is starting to change. Such impressive year-on-year rises will be crucial for the UK government to stay commited to its plans to phase out the sale of new ICE-powered vans by 2035. The recent extension of the Plug-in Van Grant, which will now expire at the end of March 2026, should also help grow these sales figures further. Even ending that scheme in 2026 may be seen as premature by some in the industry. The year-to-date market share of BEV vans is also below the UK’s target of 16%, which will be crucial to meet by the end of 2025.
The figures aren’t all that surprising, considering the increasingly wide variety of electric vans now hitting the market. As we recently explored in our best electric vans of 2025 guide, there’s now an electric van suitable for every work case. More than half of the van models on the market are available in zero-emission form, whilst for manufacturers such as Peugeot, a fully-electric variant is available on every van model within its portfolio.
A recent survey from Vauxhall found that 39% of UK businesses were confident in switching to an all-electric fleet as soon as next year, highlighting the further demand headed down the line for electric vans.
