Interest in electric vans has almost doubled over the past year. Autotrader’s data shows 89,414 views of electric vans on the marketplace in September 2025, a 75% jump on the same month last year.
Tradespeople are increasingly willing to embrace greener options and new players enter the market, but more needs to be done on affordability and charging infrastructure.
Ian Plummer, Chief Commercial Officer of Autotrader, said: “Diesel has dominated for a long time but there is undoubtedly change in the air as a bigger choice of models and Government grants turn tradespeople towards electric van options.
“The barriers in the van market mirror the car market, where we know upfront cost is the number one issue – once there are more affordable options in the market, we should see adoption rise.
“There are five million vans on UK roads and if we want to hit 2035 targets, the Government needs to offer more support to consumers, and businesses in particular, by making charging points more accommodating for larger vehicles as well as extending the grants to more models.”
The rise in interest is driven by a greater choice of models and a growing interest in zero-emission alternatives with lower running costs as well as the recent extension of the Government’s plug in van and truck grant.
Diesel-powered vans still dominate advert views (586,178) compared to electric vans, accounting for 72% versus 11% respectively, with a lack of affordable models compared to diesel counterparts still hindering progress.
While models like Kia’s new PV5, eligible for the £5,000 grant, are drawing interest, many larger models do not qualify for the grant.
To further accelerate progress, Autotrader is urging the Government to expand the Plug-in Van Grant to include more models, take decisive action on charging infrastructure to accommodate the needs of larger vans which need more spacious and high-volume charging facilities, and remove the VAT surcharge on public charging points.
