Shift detected in the colour mix of vans

28th March 2014

It is said that the number of white vans on the road is declining, but the latest data suggests it’s more a case of perception than reality.

“While there’s a widely held view that we’re seeing fewer white vans on the roads, industry figures don’t really support that,” according to James Davis, the head of commercial vehicles at Manheim.  “In fact, our data shows the proportion of vans going through the auction halls has actually only dropped by 2% (from 68% of used vans in 2005 to 66% in 2013).”

Quoted on the Business Vans website, he said:  “This idea that we’re seeing fewer white vans is something of a mystery.  There are probably other factors at play, skewing our perception of the number of white vans we’re seeing.  From our market intelligence, we can say that while the volumes of white vans seen at auction have dipped slightly since 2008, we’ve seen the volumes of silver vans jump by more than 5%.  This is a significant shift in the colour mix of vans.”

James Davis also highlighted the role colour can play in the wholesale market.  “It’s common for retail buyers to associate colour with well-known and instantly recognisable household names. 

“Take The AA, British Gas, RAC and Royal Mail. Used buyers recognise this ‘corporate uniform’ and assign a value to it.  That’s not to say white vans are worth less; condition is key and impacts values more than colour in isolation.”