Van traffic has risen by 8% since the start of the coronavirus pandemic to reach record levels, new figures show.
Light commercial vehicles clocked up 58.2 billion miles on Britain’s roads in the year to the end of March, according to provisional Department for Transport data.
That is up from 57.6 billion miles during the previous 12 months and 53.7 billion miles in the 12 months to the end of March 2020, which was mostly before the virus crisis began.
Steve Gooding, director of motoring research charity the RAC Foundation, said: “There are now a record 4.56 million vans in Britain.
“Vans are the backbone of many a small and big business, whether that be the sole-trader plumber or parcel-delivering Amazon.
“Combi vans, which can carry several people as well as cargo, are even finding a place on family driveways.
“The challenge for the future is how quickly vans can be decarbonised when, in commercial use, the two key criteria are about minimising costs and maximising use.
“Happily for fleets operating vans on regular routes with overnight depot parking, the running cost savings from going electric could be significant, despite the up-front purchase-price premium.”
Total mileage for all vehicle types in the year to the end of March was 332.4 billion.
That is compared with 334.6 billion in the 12 months to the end of March 2020.
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