The number of vans on the road has soared by 59% since 2009 – driven by a boom in online shopping.
Britain is now the EU’s biggest online retail market, with 83% buying on the web. Across Europe it averages 60%.
The popularity of cyber shopping has seen a rapid rise in the number of delivery vans.
A report by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and consultants BearingPoint say there are now 4.6 million vans in the UK.
The surge, nearly twice as fast as the growth in cars, has also been put down to a growing army of self-employed workers.
The single biggest van users are still builders, who have one million vans.
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Today’s findings says one in 10 workers, 3.4 million, uses a van as part of their job with an estimated 500,000 driving one for a living.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “The UK’s van fleet is the backbone of our society, driving our economy and allowing millions to carry out jobs our country relies on.”
