Good news on van sales and values
April van and truck sales show a 23.3 per cent drop to 225,799 for the rolling year.
There were 17,387 van and truck registrations in the month, including 14,891 registrations in April, up 6.7 per cent, the fourth monthly rise of the year.
"UK van registrations rose in April, continuing the welcome growth over the first quarter of 2010," said Paul Everitt, chief executive at the SMMT.
"Demand for trucks is still running well below pre-recession levels and continues to reflect weak demand and a lack of business confidence."
SMMT says the new government must improve business access to cash for these areas to continue to improve.
Meanwhile a report into commercial vehicle sales indicates that wholesale used van prices increased in April by 4.2 per cent - and are now nearly 15 per cent higher than in January 2010.
Average prices in this area have now risen in all but two of the last fifteen months.