Top 10 bestselling, most popular vans and pickups 2019 and 2018

These are the most popular, bestselling vans and pickups in the UK according to the latest official sales figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

We update this page every month, and the latest figures are from December 2019 - which means we now have full-year figures for 2019. Up 2.4% overall compared with 2018, it was the third best year on record for light commercial vehicle (LCV) sales.

December was up versus the previous year, too, though this came after three straight months of decline. So it hasn't been a totally rosy picture all year.

Below you'll find top 10 bestselling vans for all of 2018 and 2019, as well as the monthly figures for December 2019.

How is this useful? Because it helps you understand which LCVs other businesses are buying, which can in turn act as a guide on the best van or pickup for your business.

So keep reading to find out which are the UK's bestselling light commercials.

More guides on Parkers Vans and Pickups:

Top 10 bestselling vans and pickups December 2019

10) Volkswagen Crafter (880 sold)

Three times winner of the Parkers Van of the Year Award, the VW Crafter is an outstanding large van - easy to drive and blessed with an ultra-practical cab environment. While it's not the cheapest option it still delivers great value for money, the engines are efficient in the real world and reliability is strong.

>> Read the full Volkswagen Crafter review

>> Find a Volkswagen Crafter for sale near you

>> Get an insurance quote on a VW Crafter via mustard.co.uk

9) Renault Trafic (1,190 sold)

Renault's mid-size van is good to drive, comfortable and efficient, and has recently been updated with a facelifted model (pictured) powered by newer 2.0-litre engines offering up to 170hp. This means it finally has the firepower to compete with the very best in class, though it still lacks ultimate payload capacity.

>> Read the full Renault Trafic review

>> Find a Renault Trafic for sale near you

>> Get an insurance quote on a Renault Trafic via mustard.co.uk

8) Ford Transit Connect (1,293 sold)

The Ford Transit Connect small van offers a spacious cab, class-leading fuel efficiency – and therefore low running costs – and Ford’s typically enjoyable driving experience. The extensive dealer network means it should be easy to look after, and it’s had a facelift in 2018 (pictured) too, bringing in new looks and updated engines.

>> Read the full Ford Transit Connect review

>> Find a Ford Transit Connect for sale near you

>> Get an insurance quote on a Ford Transit Connect via mustard.co.uk

7) Peugeot Boxer (1,294 sold)

Peugeot’s rival to the Ford Transit and Mercedes Sprinter is one of the oldest large vans on the market, but its appealing combination of fuel efficient engines (updated again in 2019), high payload capacity and tempting pricing means it rarely struggles to find buyers.

>> Read the full Peugeot Boxer review

>> Find a Peugeot Boxer for sale near you

>> Get an insurance quote on a Peugeot Boxer via mustard.co.uk

6) Vauxhall Combo Cargo (1,433 sold)

Vauxhall’s latest Combo is based on the same platform as the latest Citroen Berlingo and Peugeot Partner, and is therefore a joint winner of the 2020 Parkers Small Van of the Year Award. Payload ratings and fuel economy are good, and there is some useful technology on the way – including a built-in payload sensor.

>> Read the full Vauxhall Combo Cargo review 

>> Find a Vauxhall Combo for sale near you 

>> Get an insurance quote on a Vauxhall Combo Cargo via mustard.co.uk

5) Ford Transit (1,643 sold)

The Transit is consistently one of the UK's most popular large vans, and has been for decades.  A significantly updated version (pictured) made its UK debut at the 2019 CV Show bringing improved payload ratings and a nicer cab interior, among other innovations; we've driven it, and the updates make a great van even better.

>> Read the full Ford Transit review

>> Find a Ford Transit for sale near you

>> Get an insurance quote on a Ford Transit via mustard.co.uk

4) Vauxhall Vivaro (1,644 sold)

While Vauxhall may have changed hands and become part of the French PSA Group, the new Vivaro is still proudly built in Britain to a very high standard. Cousin to the Citroen Dispatch, Peugeot Expert and Toyota Proace, this latest version is a little down on overall load volume but can carry vast amounts of payload. It certainly seems to be appealing to its buying public.

>> Read the full Vauxhall Vivaro review

>> Find a Vauxhall Vivaro for sale near you

>> Get an insurance quote on a Vauxhall Vivaro via mustard.co.uk

3) Volkswagen Transporter (1,911 sold)

The Transporter has a super-practical cabin, and one of the widest model ranges on the market – so whether you want a basic working van or a posh lifestyle wagon, Volkswagen’s got you covered. We've recently driven the facelifted T6.1 version, and came away very impressed.

>> Read the full VW Transporter review

>> Find a VW Transporter for sale near you

>> Get an insurance quote on a VW Transporter via mustard.co.uk

2) Mercedes-Benz Sprinter (1,931 sold)

The all-new 2018 Mercedes Sprinter (pictured) continues to set incredible standards, and remains the large van all others should be measured against, especially given the cutting-edge technology that's now included on-board. A new front-wheel drive variant boosts its appeal further still but we now know it's not set to meet the latest emissions standards until June 2020.

>> Read the full Mercedes-Benz Sprinter review

>> Find a Mercedes Sprinter for sale near you

>> Get an insurance quote on a Mercedes Sprinter via mustard.co.uk

1) Ford Transit Custom (3,600 sold)

The UK's bestselling van since it was launched, and winner of the 2020 Parkers Medium Van of the Year Award, the Ford Transit Custom is an exceptional all-rounder. It has plenty of load capacity, is good to drive and there are lots of dealers. The recent facelift (pictured) means it's better to look at and more practical than ever, and the engines have been updated for 2019, too.

>> Read the full Ford Transit Custom review

>> Find a Ford Transit Custom for sale near you

>> Get an insurance quote on a Ford Transit Custom via mustard.co.uk

December 2019 van and pickup market report

Coming after three months of falling sales, December 2019 was a welcome relief to the van industry, as it beat the sales figures for December 2018 by an impressive 7.8%

This helped 2019 finish 2.4% up overall compared with the previous year, despite some challenging market conditions, including political and economic uncertainty, and changes to emissions regulations.

In total 365,778 new models were sold, with every sector of the LCV market seeing a year-on-year increase, except for pickups and 4x4s - but even these only fell very slightly, by just 733 vehicles combined.

However, if you dig a little deeper into the figures below, you'll see that the vast majority of the UK's top 10 bestselling vans actually sold in lower numbers in 2019 than they did in 2018 - the only really big exceptions to this being the Mercedes Sprinter (which had a model change in 2018) and the Vauxhall Combo (which was all-new for 2019 and didn't even make the top 10 in 2018).

That the total year figures are up altogether is therefore testament to breadth and depth of the van market now.

Commenting on the 2019 figures, SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said:

'A healthy van market is good news for the industry, environment and exchequer and so the rise in 2019 registrations is very welcome. As we enter a new decade, however, we need this upward trend to continue if we are to address environmental concerns. The quicker these new vehicles become commonplace, the quicker their positive impact on air quality and climate change will be felt. Manufacturers will continue to invest in new, cleaner technologies but, ultimately, it is businesses that will determine the pace of change. Business positivity is essential to give companies the confidence to invest in their fleets.'

Bestselling vans and pickups in all of 2019

This is the top 10 list of the bestselling vans (and pickups) of 2019 in total.

Bestselling vans and pickups of 2018

This is the top 10 list of the bestselling vans (and pickups) in all of 2018.

Further info on the 2018 van market and sales

The 2018 van and pickup sales figures ended up being down 1.3% versus 2017, suggesting the light commercial vehicle (LCV) market is weathering the current financial uncertainty better than the car market.

Pickups continued to prove popular, with sales up 4.3% year-on-year, while sales of commercial 4x4s grew by a staggering 303.4%, due largely to new models entering the vacuum left by the end of the Land Rover Defender's production. Large vans remain static, while sales of small and medium vans fell.

Despite this, there were some individual successes for manufacturers - most notably Ford, which not only retained its position as the UK's favourite van brand, it also sold more LCVs than ever (over 126,000) and increased its market share to more than 35%.

Also read:

>> Best large vans 2019

>> Best medium vans 2019

>> Best small vans 2019