Van value surges amid coronavirus

Figures released by the online car marketplace BuyaCar reveal that van sales in March increased 20-fold as a proportion of total vehicle sales on the platform.

Searches for vans and other commercial vehicles also increased by 30% as a proportion of website queries about vehicle body types.

The trend is driven by the boom in home delivery services, due to social isolation measures, and the necessity for some self-employed people, such as parcel couriers, to remain mobile.

BuyaCar Chief Executive Andy Oldham said: “These figures reveal a very different market than normal and provide a stark illustration that for many people a new vehicle is not a discretionary purchase but a necessity.

“In 18 years of operation we have never seen much change in the proportion of van sales compared with cars, but to see a 20-fold increase in just one month shows just how Covid-19 is currently changing everything.

“To be clear, this is not a boom in commercial vehicle sales but a massive realignment in their significance to many of our customers, the people for whom a reliable vehicle is a necessity rather than a want.

“As one of the few national car suppliers remaining open we continue to review our operations daily and pledge to help those who need to change their vehicle for as long as we can do so reliably and safely.”