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Published: 25 Mar 2026 | Last reviewed: 25 Mar 2026 | Reviewed by: VanCompare Editorial Team
This article originally highlighted a Department for Transport (DfT) milestone: van traffic hit a then-record in 2016, reflecting how central vans had become to day-to-day UK deliveries and services.
The newer DfT road traffic estimates show that van mileage has continued to rise since then.
The 2016 record (historic context)
DfT’s 2016 traffic release reported:
- Van traffic (LCVs) increased 4.7% in 2016 to 49.1 billion vehicle miles.
- All motor vehicle traffic increased 2.2% to 323.7 billion vehicle miles.
The latest picture: van miles in 2024
DfT’s latest annual road traffic estimates (published 12 June 2025, covering 2024) report:
- Van traffic reached 58.5 billion vehicle miles in 2024, up 1.3% on 2023 and 9.5% higher than 2019.
- All motor vehicle traffic reached 336.2 billion vehicle miles in 2024, up 1.6% on 2023 and 0.7% lower than 2019.
What that means compared with 2016
Using the DfT totals, vans went from 49.1bn miles (2016) to 58.5bn miles (2024) — an increase of about 19% over that period.
Why this matters for van operators
More miles usually means more exposure to:
- Wear and tear (tyres, brakes, suspension, lights)
- Schedule pressure (fatigue, distraction risk, rushing at customer sites)
- Urban risk (tight manoeuvres, reversing, pedestrian/cyclist interactions)
- Theft exposure (more stops, more opportunity)
The practical response is boring but effective: build maintenance and checks into the operating rhythm, plan journeys with realistic time buffers, and treat driver safety controls as a core part of “uptime”.
Sources
- DfT — Road traffic estimates in Great Britain: 2024 (headline and by-vehicle-type pages: overall traffic 336.2bn; van traffic 58.5bn; comparisons vs 2019).
- DfT — Road traffic estimates in Great Britain: 2016 (overall traffic 323.7bn; 2016 release).
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