There’s a record number of vans now on UK roads

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Published: 25 Mar 2026 | Last reviewed: 25 Mar 2026 | Reviewed by: VanCompare Editorial Team

Vans have become a bigger part of everyday UK life — deliveries, trades, services and mobile work — and the latest data shows the van parc is at a record level.

How many vans are on UK roads now?

SMMT’s Motorparc data (vehicles in use) says van use reached a record 5,102,180 vans in 2024, up 1.8% year-on-year.

For a second official lens, DfT/DVLA licensing statistics show there were 4.790 million licensed light goods vehicles (LGVs) in the UK at the end of December 2024.

These totals aren’t identical because they’re measuring slightly different things (and use different categorisations/processing), but they both point in the same direction: there are more vans in use than ever.

How many miles are vans doing?

DfT road traffic estimates for Great Britain show van traffic was 58.5 billion vehicle miles in 2024, up 1.3% on 2023 and 9.5% higher than 2019.

So it’s not just that there are more vans — they’re also covering a very large (and growing) share of road mileage.

Why this matters for van operators

More vans and more mileage generally means:

• More exposure to risk (collisions, manoeuvring incidents, theft at stops)
• More wear and tear (tyres, brakes, suspension, windscreens)
• More operational pressure (tight schedules can drive fatigue and rushing)

For fleets and owner-drivers, the practical response is keeping the basics tight: maintenance discipline, load security, realistic journey planning, and clear driver standards.

Sources

1. SMMT — “More than a million EVs on UK roads as vehicle ownership reaches new high” (Motorparc 2024; vans in use 5,102,180; +1.8%).
2. SMMT — “Commercial vehicle numbers increase and buses lead the way on decarbonisation” (repeats Motorparc 2024 van figure and trend).
3. DfT/DVLA — Vehicle licensing statistics, United Kingdom: 2024 (licensed LGVs at end of Dec 2024).
4. DfT — Road traffic estimates in Great Britain: 2024 (van traffic 58.5bn vehicle miles; trend vs 2019).

VanCompare Editorial Team

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