The data from the UK's Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) – released on the first day of this year’s CV Show – show that registrations grew 1.2% in the first quarter of 2016, following a bumper 2015 which saw more than 370,000 units registered.

In addition, Motorparc data from the SMMT indicates that a total of 4,007,331 vans are in use on UK roads, a 4.3% increase since the previous year.

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said, “Commercial vehicles have never been more important to the British economy, transporting vital goods and services using the latest low emission technology. The CV Show will demonstrate the huge progress that the whole industry continues to make, with a wealth of new products on display from manufacturers, suppliers, aftermarket companies and service providers.”

The SMMT added that the new figures – and the number of new products on display at the show – underline the importance of the commercial vehicle sector which contributes £11bn annually to the UK economy. CVs cover 61 billion miles each year in the UK, with vans account 45 billion of these – an all-time high. Almost 3,000 tonnes of goods are moved by road every minute – three times more than by water and rail combined.