Sales of new vans dropped by 2.5% in June compared to the same time last year – according the SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders). 22,287 units were sold over the month, which returns the van market to a contracting state, having briefly recovered in May – in which sales rose by 6.7%.

When the figures for the first six months of 2012 are looked at, we see that volumes are down 10% compared to the same period in 2011 – at 119,786 units.

SMMT’s boss Paul Everitt described the UK van market as “far from settled”, and predicted that the state of both the UK and eurozone economies would influence how it fares in the coming months.

While the overall news for van sales looks a bit gloomy, there are some signs of recovery; the biggest sector of the market, heavy vans, saw an impressive increase of 8%, with a total of 13,323 vans sold over June.

Vauxhall saw the worst results of the big van makers, with registrations down by 35%. This is all the more surprising when you consider that it is normally one of the top three best sellers. But in June, Mercedes and Renault both overtook Vauxhall. Rather than a reflection on Vauxhall being a vehicle for which you might more readily buy van breakdown cover, it could well be down to more effective marketing from its rivals.