If you are setting up a courier service business for the first time or are an established business looking to change one or more vans you will need to decide whether to buy a new or used van. You may be interested to read that in the first quarter of 2025 the number of new vans sold in the UK fell in comparison to the same quarter last year.

According to figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the number of new van sales in the UK for all vans up to 3.5 tonnes during the first 3 months of 2025 amounted to 84,747. For the same period in 2024 the number of new van registrations totalled 94,812. That is a drop of 10,065 equating to a fall of 10.6%. We are sure that you will agree that is a significant reduction and one that will give the motor trade industry some cause for concern.

When comparing the various weight categories, in the vans below 2 tonnes category, the number of new vans sold rose from 1,613 in the third quarter of 2024 to 2,680 in the same quarter of this year. That is a significant rise of 66.2%.

When you compare the figures for the month of March 2025 with the same month in 2024 in the all vans to 3.5 tonnes category there were 51,221 new van sales in March 2025 compared to 52,916 in March 2024. That is a reduction of 3.2%.

It is to be hoped that the new van sale business picks up throughout the remainder of 2025 and beyond.

If you are a courier looking to buy a new van you will no doubt find that there is still a good choice of such vehicles to purchase from a range of manufacturers. It is obviously important that you select a van that is fit for purpose and meets your requirements so do make sure that you do your due diligence. After all, buying a new van involves a significant financial outlay especially if you are purchasing the vehicle on finance.

There are numerous ways in which you can source a new van for your courier service business. Whether you decide to pop into a main dealer that sells new vans on its forecourt or use the Internet to help in your search you will hopefully find what you are looking for at an affordable price.