Market Insight: Medium van sales rising

BY MATT BROGAN | 12th Aug 2024


THE mid-size van market might not seem that important – unless of course you are one of the estimated 331,650 trade and delivery drivers in Australia who rely on a ‘white van’ daily. 
 
Australians now buy almost as many mid-sized vans each year as two-wheel drive utes, those numbers running at a steady rate of 1800-odd units per month – a considerable uptick over pre-pandemic times. 
 
VFACTS figures show the mid-size van market has soared by almost 36 per cent since 2019, keeping in step with an increase in deliveries spurred by the rise of online shopping. 
 
According to Australia Post, four in five households made an online purchase at least once in the past 12 months. Add to this a marked increase in the number of delivery services vying for our business and it is easy to understand why so many mid-size vans are hitting the road. 
 
But which mid-size vans are delivering serious sales volumes for their importers? 
 
Year-to-date figures show the ubiquitous Toyota HiAce leading the way with exactly 6800 sales recorded to the end of July – a 45.9 per cent share of the segment. 
 
This is enough for the HiAce to outsell its nearest rival by more than three to one, the Hyundai Staria Load in second place with 2211 deliveries (and a 14.9 per cent market share). 
 
Where it really gets interesting is the middle of the pack. Here, the Ford Transit Custom (1799 YTD sales and 12.1 per cent market share) vies almost neck and neck with the vastly more affordable LDV G10 (1879 sold /12.7 per cent share) – with just 80 units dividing the pair. 
 
Numbers nosedive from here on out with the Renault Trafic (883 units / 6.0 per cent share), Volkswagen Transporter (492 sold / 3.3 per cent share), Mercedes-Benz Vito (237 units / 1.6 per cent share) and a handful of others managing sales in the hundreds of units only. 
 
Analysing those models that were available in July 2019 and which remain available today – and remembering the Hyundai iLoad was succeeded by the Staria Load in 2022 – growth went to the Ford Transit Custom (up 602 units), LDV G10 (up 1069 units), Peugeot Expert (up 168 units), and Toyota HiAce (up 3313 units). 
 
All others have flagged, with Hyundai Staria Load (down 346 units), LDV V80 (down 94 units), Mercedes-Benz Vito (down 41 units), Renault Trafic (down 258 units), and Volkswagen Transporter (down 542 units albeit with a new-generation model incoming). 
 

Medium van sales YTD at July*:

Make/Model 
2024 
2023 
2022 
2021 
2020 
2019 
Ford Transit Custom 
1799 
1965 
704 
2121 
1433 
1197 
Hyundai Staria Load^ 
2211 
1579 
2355 
1637 
1777 
2557 
LDV G10 
1879 
2195 
1837 
1637 
685 
810 
LDV V80 
219 
396 
198 
358 
286 
313 
Mercedes-Benz Vito 
237 
525 
486 
623 
694 
278 
Peugeot Expert 
209 
196 
170 
171 
140 
41 
Renault Trafic 
883 
762 
732 
1413 
923 
1141 
Toyota HiAce 
6800 
3978 
5558 
5581 
3605 
3487 
Volkswagen Transporter 
492 
517 
764 
1180 
454 
1034 
 
*All data supplied courtesy of VFACTS. 

^Hyundai Staria Load and iLoad sales numbers indicated.

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