Two electric vans made it on to Aston Barclay’s LCV desirability index for the first time in September, with the index also revealing September as the second consecutive month in which LCV demand and prices returned to pre-Covid levels.

The Ford e-Transit topped the September list while the Maxus eDeliver 5 appeared in eighth place.

Vehicle auction and remarketing specialist Aston Barclay puts the vans’ arrival on the index down to their value for money.

The monthly desirability index takes into consideration three key metrics: web views prior to sale, number of physical and online sale bids and sale price achieved as a percentage of CAP average.

Ford dominated September’s index with five LCVs, four vans and one pick up, with medium and large panel vans making up the lion’s share of the table.

Four pick-ups also appeared in the top 15 with the Toyota HiLux at number two the most highly rated model.

The used LCV stock mix remains diverse, as reported in the summer, including many different models that are desirable due to their value in the current market, rather than buyers chasing the most fashionable makes and models.

In August and September LCV demand and prices improved and are back to pre-Covid levels which Aston Barclay said is another reason SMEs have started to replace their current vehicles or extend their fleet with another used LCV.

Nick Thompson, Aston Barclay’s chief customer officer, said: “The used LCV market sprang into life this summer when traditionally it is quiet, injecting real confidence into the market. We are seeing strong competition for LCVs, with many buyers snapping up vehicles in large batches.”

“It was also pleasing to see a couple of electric vans appear in our September index. Electric vans look very good value now and for operators who work in a lower mileage back-to-base environment they represent an attractive option,” he added.

Aston Barclay Index Make Model Desirability Score

FORD E-Transit 11.2

Toyota HiLux 10.1

Ford Courier 8.0

Peugeot Boxer 7.4

Vauxhall Movano 7.4

Isuzu D-Max 7.2

Maxus E Deliver 5 7.0

Ford Transit Custom 6.5

Ford Ranger 6.4

VW Caddy 6.3

Toyota ProAce 6.0

Ford Transit 6.0

Citroen Relay 6.0

Nissan Navara 5.8

Mercedes Vito 5.6