Impact of pick-ups decline casts a shadow over March van sales
Both Ford and Toyota feel the pick-up slump pain
But other sectors in much more positive territory
Volkswagen posts strong Q1
IN March 2025, more than 8,000 pick-ups were registered ahead of the April double-cab tax hike deadline. In March 2026, the number of pick-ups registered was less than half that at just over 3,700.
It’s this near 4,100 drop which more than accounts for the headline poor performance in the overall LCV registration figures this month which are down by 1,716.
The drop means March was down 3.4% and the first three months of the year are down 3.6%.
Ford, which was the biggest brand in the pick-up sector, is unsurprisingly suffering as a result of the collapsed sector. By a large margin it has seen the largest drop off in volume in the first three months of 2026 with a decrease of 6,751 LCVs. However, despite the poor benefit-in-kind tax position for double-cab pick-ups, Ford has still sold more than 3,000 Rangers this year.
The next worst performance was from Toyota (also exposed to pick-ups with the Hilux) with a 1,295 unit drop.
Away from double-cabs, the rest of the van market has, for the most part, been performing well.
LCV registrations in the 2.5-3.5t market, including vans such as the Ford Transit Custom, were up 8.7% in March with nearly 35,000 sold. The sector below was also up 2.3% and 4x4s also did well with a 41.3% hike; a sign that Land Rover has recovered from its cyber attack and production is again flowing.
Volkswagen vans heads growth in Q1
Unlike its car brand, Volkswagen is having a strong first quarter in commercial vehicles. It was the fastest growing brand with a gain of 1,767 vans this year against the same period in 2025.
New to the LCV market, Kia is the second largest winner in Q1. It has registered 1,235 of its electric PBV range.
That total means Kia is running at 1.5% market share. The brand originally forecast van sales of around 3,000 units in 2026. On its current performance that seems pessimistic. If it continues at this level, it could register closer to 5,000 LCVs even before it brings more variants of its electric van later this year.
Like Kia, new entrant Farizon also launched in the UK with an all-electric van line-up. But, despite its six-month head start on Kia, Farizon has yet to make a meaningful impact. In the first quarter of 2026 Farizon has registered just 67 vans, possibly pointing to the lack of an established retail network and a higher price point.
Source: SMMT
Top 5 fastest growing brands by volume YTD
Bottom 5 fastest falling brands by volume YTD
1 Volkswagen +1,767
2 Kia +1,235
3 Renault +1,217
4 Mercedes +716
5 Land Rover +713
5 Isuzu -756
4 Maxus -771
3 Citroen -896
2 Toyota -1,295
1 Ford -6,751
eLCVs still fail to spark interest
What’s not great news in the LCV market is, with the exception of Kia, the performance of electric vans.
Not only was the market share down in March 2026 compared with a year ago, the total number of registrations was also down (by nearly 16%). With the ZEV Mandate requiring manufacturers to hit a 24% BEV mix this year or face tough fines, the fact that the market is running at 9%, up less than one percentage point on a year ago, is not great news. March’s BEV mix was even lower at 7.1%.
Read our new van market analysis of February 2026 registrations
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Tristan Young is an award winning journalist with more than 25 years’ experience reporting on the automotive industry focussing predominantly on fleet and retail. As a self-confessed petrol-head, Tristan has a weakness for car classifieds. When he’s not writing about the automotive industry, he can usually be found outdoors with a small pack of border collies.
