UK’s Best Selling Vehicle of 2021 – Ford Transit Custom

Almost 54,000 Transit Customs were sold in the UK in 2021 which is a 10% increase from the previous year.

The Ford Transit two-tonne was the UK’s 3^rd bestselling vehicle, meaning that Ford remains the top-selling brand for combined passenger and commercial vehicles in the UK.

Why was a van the UK’s top selling vehicle?

It is very rare for the UK’s top selling vehicle to be a commercial van rather than a car. However, in a difficult year for the entire car industry due to semiconductor shortages, new car registrations grew by only 1% from 2020.

With large and small businesses gaining confidence after lockdown restrictions eased in 2021, alongside the emphasis on home delivery services, the demand for commercial vehicles seemed to increase.

The shortage of semiconductors across the car industry meant that Ford had to prioritise supply, ensuring that their customers loyal to the Transit brand who rely on their Ford vehicles were able to continue to buy new vans to support their businesses.

Aside from keeping the UK’s economy on the move in 2021, Transit vans also supported a variety of community-focussed activities throughout the year. A specially converted refrigerated Plug-in Hybrid Transit was sent to Oxford Mutual Aid, an organisation which provides emergency care packages for those experiencing food poverty. The Transit allowed them to more than double their delivery capacity and bring supplies to more than 500 households a week. Another special conversion was the Transit ‘VaxVan’ which was turned in to a mobile vaccination clinic which delivered Covid-19 vaccinations to communities with low uptake.

What’s next for the Transit?

Aside from commercial vehicles, the other category of vehicle which saw promising growth was electric vehicles. EV’s continue to increase their share of new vehicle registrations in the UK, and are even expected to double in 2022.

The Transit Custom is already available as a Plug-in Hybrid, and the Ford E-Transit will be available later this year – Ford’s first all-electric commercial vehicle.  The E-Transit will allow the many businesses that rely on the Transit brand to reduce their businesses emissions while still benefitting from the reliability and robustness that’s guaranteed from the Transit brand.

Alongside the battery electric range of vans, Ford has expanded its Transit Custom range over the last couple of years, adding the off-road capable Trail and Active variants, as well as the Transit Custom Nugget Camper

Interested in purchasing the UK's top selling car of 2021? Find out more about the Ford Transit Custom.