UK electric van registrations rise 58% amid widening mandate gap

By Elena Vasquez

UK battery-electric van registrations rose 58% in October 2026 to 3,369 vehicles, equal to 12.9% of the light-commercial-vehicle market, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The industry body called October the strongest performance on record for electric vans.

The rise did not remove the gap to the government’s 2026 Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate. Electric vehicles accounted for 11% of registrations in the first 10 months of 2026, against a 24% target. That puts the year-to-date share at less than half the required level.

How fast is the wider market growing?

The wider light-commercial-vehicle market grew 11.4% in October, when SMMT recorded 25,510 registrations across vans, pickups and 4x4s. October marked the seventh consecutive month of growth.

Year-to-date registrations reached 276,885, up 4.8% from the same period in 2025. The 58% battery-electric increase therefore outpaced the 11.4% growth across the broader market.

For carriers and fleet buyers, the figures show electric vans gaining ground within a growing registration base. Nearly seven in ten October registrations still sat outside the battery-electric segment, leaving fleet transition dependent on more than sales growth alone.

Will uptake close the mandate gap?

SMMT expects battery-electric vans weighing no more than 3.5 tonnes to account for 10.4% of the market in 2026. Its later forecasts rise, but remain below the corresponding mandate targets:

• 2026: 10.4% forecast against a 24% target.
• 2027: 14.9% forecast against a 34% target.
• 2028: 18.8% forecast against a 46% target.

These estimates leave battery-electric vans below half of their segment throughout the forecast period. For fleet operators and vehicle suppliers, that points to a prolonged transition and continued planning for several powertrain types.

What is holding back fleet electrification?

SMMT identified delays in obtaining depot grid connections and insufficient public charging suitable for commercial vehicles as barriers to fleet electrification. For operators, those infrastructure constraints directly affect how quickly depots can add electric vans.

The industry body has called for a long-term commitment to purchase incentives and improvements to charging infrastructure. It said the Plug-in Van Grant and Depot Charging Scheme helped encourage uptake, but manufacturers had been “forced to provide heavy discounts to avoid even more punitive ZEV Mandate compliance costs.”

For manufacturers, the mandate has already influenced vehicle pricing through heavy discounts. For fleet buyers, grants and charging support improve the case for adoption, while grid delays and unsuitable public charging can postpone deployment.

Can the year-end review change the policy trajectory?

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “While electric van uptake is accelerating rapidly, demand remains far behind the optimistic and unrealistic expectations of the mandate.

“Government’s review must provide clear and meaningful trajectory change before the year ends, not marginal tinkering, to avoid damaging the market, and the businesses and economic growth which depend on this sector.”

Hawes’s warning places the government review at the center of the market’s next phase. A meaningful trajectory change would give carriers and van suppliers a clearer basis for investment, while marginal adjustments would leave the forecast gap intact.

Industry event IntraLogisteX is scheduled for 17-18 March 2027 at the NEC in Birmingham. Organizers are offering exhibitor inquiries and sponsorship opportunities for the two-day event.

Without a meaningful change to the mandate trajectory before year-end, SMMT’s forecast leaves battery-electric van market share below 34% in 2027 and 46% in 2028.