Sales of compact vans were hit hard in October as intense economic pressure continued to depress the overall new LCV market.
Sales of minivans weighing less than 2.0-tonnes fell 23.4% to 523 year-on-year, while sales of vans weighing from 2.0 to 2.5-tonnes slumped 41.2% to 3,347 units.
During the first 10 months of the year, registrations in the respective sectors were down 10.8% to 7,722 and 21.7% to 43,426 compared to the same period in 2024.
The Peugeot Partner was the only compact van to make it into the top 10 sellers table in October; at number eight with 743 sales. It was also the seventh best-seller in the year to 31st October on the back of 9,051 registrations, ahead of its stablemate, the ninth-placed Citroen Berlingo, on 8,069.
The big news on the product front is Kia’s entry into the LCV market with the PV5 compact electric van. The PV5 is available in two lengths and with two batteries, giving ranges of 181 miles and 247 miles, respectively. The van is priced from £27,645, excluding VAT.
Kia is selling the PV5 in the UK through a network of 61 PBV centres. It plans to sell 3,000–4,000 PV5s in the model’s first full year, rising year-on-year to around 17,000 by 2030. Kia says it selected the partners for their expertise and ability to best serve commercial vehicle customers, with many already supporting Kia’s car fleet and business customers or serving commercial vehicle customers at multi-brand commercial vehicle sites.
Mercedes has revealed updates for its Citan small van (pictured), effective from October production. Among the changes is the introduction of a new diesel engine option, badged 112, which offers 116hp, 270Nm of torque, and comes as standard with automatic transmission.
Mercedes has also announced payload increases for Citans equipped with the existing 110 diesel engine, which produces 95hp. Payloads are up from 479kg to 680kg with an L1 base van, from 684kg to 854kg with an L2 base van, from 662kg to 837kg with an L2 Pro van, and from 660kg to 827kg with an L2 Select van.
In addition, a new Special Edition Technology Pack has been made available with both diesel and electric Pro models, including sat-nav, wireless phone charging and active parking assist. This pack is priced at £995 excluding VAT.
Components supplier Motor Parts Direct is adding 300 Renault Kangoos, the compact van the Citan is based upon, to its fleet. The vans, to be used by the motor factor for workshop deliveries, are in Advance spec, with 95hp diesel engines, and equipped with ply lining and floor protection. Around 240 of the vans will replace existing fleet vehicles, with the remainder supporting new branches and organic growth.
Once the order is completed in June 2026, Renault vehicles will make up over a third of the Motor Parts Direct’s operational delivery fleet.
Hotel chain Travelodge has taken more than 200 Nissan vans onto its fleet, including for the first time a batch of Townstar compact vans. The vans, specced in Tekna trim, are being fully wrapped in Travelodge branding and fitted with bespoke internal storage racking.
In September, the Townstar received the maximum five-star safety rating from crash test body Euro NCAP. The van won particular praise for its autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system, which detects other vehicles and vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists.
Skoda has launched a new LCV variant of its Enyaq electric car. There is a choice of 85 and 85x powertrains, with the latter featuring all-wheel drive. Official WLTP ranges are 359 miles and 332 miles respectively.
Skoda says the conversion features a load area constructed using high-strength, low-weight plastic materials, while a “robust yet lightweight” bulkhead separates the cabin from the cargo space.
The base Enyaq Edition 85 is priced from £44,310, while the conversion is available from £1,815, excluding VAT, with final pricing dependent on individual specifications.
