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Photo l to r: Liam Nicholas, Business Development Director, Vanaways; Giles Bolton, Sales Director, Grosvenor; and Paul Wickenden, Regional Business Development Manager, Grosvenor
Vehicle brokerage Vanaways has seen electric van adoption among its supported fleets hit 16% – this year’s ZEV mandate target – following a new partnership with leasing broker funder Grosvenor.
As of June 2025, 12,584 electric vans have been sold in the UK year-to-date, according to the latest SMMT figures. This represents about 8.6% of all new van sales in the UK for the first half of 2025, demonstrating that the sector is rapidly evolving.
Despite this growth, the industry faces challenges like charging infrastructure and upfront costs, with many manufacturers currently below the Government’s ambitious ZEV mandate target for 2025.
"Many businesses struggle with fleet electrification. Grosvenor's approach to residual value and transparent monthly pricing makes the transition manageable, not scary. Our partnership essentially helps businesses go electric, providing the right vehicles and expert education on issues like range anxiety and charging infrastructure" - Liam Nicholas, Business Development Manager Director, Vanaways.
'Realistic' approach to electric van RVs
The partnership between Vanaways and Grosvenor was established following a meeting in Bristol last year, after several of Vanaways’ customers and supplying dealers recommended Grosvenor as a contract hire funder.
“At the time, we were actively seeking additional funders who could support our customers through the transition to electric vans, particularly those with realistic residual value assessments and a genuine appetite to fund EVs and Grosvenor stood out as a strong fit,” Liam said.
The partnership has had a “significant” impact on Vanaways, according to Liam, although the brokerage does work with most of the major funders in the UK.
“Working with Grosvenor has enabled us to fund more vehicles for our customers, especially in cases where other mainstream funders have either declined applications or been unwilling to take on the risk,” he said.
“Grosvenor’s flexible and tailored approach to funding, whether for SMEs or large PLCs has allowed us to support a wide range of businesses, including new start-ups and established fleets running 1,000-plus vehicles that had already reached their credit limits elsewhere. As a result, we’ve seen a clear uplift in business volumes.”
Vanaways supplies electric vans to Grosvenor
Vanaways has supported Grosvenor’s own procurement team by supplying new competitively priced vans, thanks to Vanaways’ direct manufacturer terms and substantial purchasing power. This has been particularly valuable when other suppliers have struggled with stock availability.
Giles Bolton, sales director at Grosvenor, said: “Our partnership with Vanaways goes beyond typical introducer relationships. We collaborate closely on every opportunity, offering not just finance but also providing outstanding choice, value, and service to customers.”
Liam added: “This partnership is a genuine win-win. Grosvenor offers comprehensive fleet funding and end-of-life disposal services, which our clients truly value. They’re incredibly reactive and, being a people-centric business, we can even contact them outside of hours for help. We communicate daily, ensuring everyone stays informed on both issues and opportunities.”
Vanaways eyes further growth
From a two-person team operation in 2015, Vanaways has seen exponential growth post-lockdown when the business switched to selling new vans.
Liam concluded: “We recently announced our intention to achieve a turnover of £200 million by 2026, coinciding with the company's tenth anniversary. We’ve demonstrated outstanding post-pandemic growth, with annual revenue rising from £15 million in 2020 to £109 million in the 2023/24 financial year and to support this trajectory and meet growing demand, we are now expanding our sales force significantly across the country.”
Vanaways was named Best Commercial Vehicle Broker in the 2025 Broker News Awards.
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