Thousands of tradespeople and small business owners up and down the UK rely upon their van to do business. The latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) suggests there are more vans on the roads than ever before. A record high of over 4 million vans are currently in use on UK roads; this is a huge boost of over 500,000 since 2011, and an increase of 4.3% on 2015 too.
The increase of vans on UK roads includes businesses expanding their fleets, upgrading their vehicles and of course people starting out on new business ventures. Looking at April 2016 alone, 28,000 new vans were registered. This was an 11.7% increase on April 2015, and the third month in a row that growth has been recorded.
Vans of all sizes are growing in popularity with heavier vans (2.5-3.5T segment) up considerably and light commercial vehicles too seeing significant increase. This shows that vehicles being used for all trades and businesses are in demand.
Demand for new vans in the UK is actually at record levels in 2016 as the SMMT have seen registrations grow 1.2% in the first three months of 2016. Reasons behind these growth figures include growing demand for online deliveries as well as a sustained level of business confidence from 2015 into 2016.
The SMMT also released some fun facts about the UK’s vans with their latest figures including the fact that if you parked every van in the UK end-to-end they would stretch 28 times the length of the A1 (410 miles). They also found that over half of all vans on the road are white, with silver and blue coming in second and third respectively.
Vans for Business
The majority of the vans on UK roads are being used for business purposes and whether it’s a large or small business, the van itself can be absolutely integral to business success. Whilst some businesses have whole fleets and pools of vehicles to call upon, others may rely on one or two vehicles and therefore they are an extremely important business asset.
From plumbers to couriers and electricians to mobile IT consultants, the right vehicle can be essential for ensuring you have access to all necessary equipment to carry out your job properly. Commercial vehicles may be used for any number of purposes but where they are, first and foremost, used for business, then it is essential that the right insurance is in place. There is specialised van insurance on the market as well as even more niche products such as goods in transit and tools insurance, which protects the content of your van or pick-up truck insurance for open cargo vehicles.
The necessary insurance protects your business and your vehicle and helps to ensure you are protecting your customers too. With van registrations consistently increasing it is clear that more people are getting involved in industries that regularly take them on the road. It is essential that every individual tradesperson and business person is fully prepared and covered for all aspects of their new business.
Have a look at how we can help you and rest assured,you will get the best possible service.
