Best small vans to buy 2024
Small vans are practical, affordable and cheap to run. This is our top 10 rundown of the best low-cost load-luggers
The best small vans combine a decent payload capacity, a roomy cab, large door openings and a versatile load space. They do all this while offering low running costs, strong efficiency and compact dimensions for ease of use in urban areas.
In the past, small vans have had pretty basic interiors, but the latest models are widely offered with a vast range of technology and safety features as standard. They’re much nicer and easier to drive than ever before, offering pleasant working environments. It all means that competition for places in our list of the best small vans on the market has never been tougher.
The majority of the UK’s major commercial vehicle manufacturers offer a product in the small van class, including the likes of Citroen, Ford, Volkswagen, Toyota, Peugeot, Renault and Nissan. However, while customers have a wide variety of makes and models to choose from, there are a number of joint ventures between manufacturers at play, different brands offering virtually the same van with a few styling tweaks, different trim specifications and their own badge stuck on the grille. Choosing between these platform-shared models will largely depend upon factors like brand loyalty, finance deals, local dealers or whichever you like the look of the most.
Best small vans to buy
We’ve driven and extensively tested every small van on the UK market to come up with our list of the best small vans on sale. Now in descending order, we list the top 10 best small vans currently available.
10. Suzuki Jimny Commercial
- Prices from £22,299
Nothing in our shortlist has as much character as the Suzuki Jimny Commercial. The standard passenger car was discontinued shortly after it was launched in 2019 because it bumped Suzuki’s average fleet-wide CO2 emissions figure over the European Parliament’s 95g/km threshold, but Suzuki managed to find a loophole and now offers the Jimny purely as a commercial vehicle.
From the outside, the Suzuki Jimny commercial looks the same as the passenger carrying model, however, the standard Jimny’s tiny rear bench seat has been swapped for a partitioned 863-litre load bay – which is 33 litres more than the passenger model offered with the back row folded.
Like the standard car, the Jimny Commercial has Suzuki’s ALLGRIP four-wheel drive system with a low-range transfer box. It’s also equipped with the same 1.5-litre engine producing 101bhp and 130Nm of torque, sending power through a five-speed manual gearbox. Equipment is plentiful, too, with hill descent control, a DAB radio, bluetooth compatibility and a USB port offered as standard.
9. DFSK EC35
- Prices from £26,000
You’d be forgiven for not recognising the DFSK EC35, as it isn’t a common sight on UK roads, but we think it has a strong shout of being one of the best small vans you can buy. It’s a pure-electric offering from China and starts from around £26,000.
For your money you get a range of up to 166 miles thanks to a 39kWh battery. The EC35 can recharge from a flat battery to 100 per cent in 90 minutes with a maximum DC charge rate of 40kW.
In terms of cargo area, there’s up to 4.8 cubic metres – which is 1.5 cubic metres more than the cheapest Citroen Berlingo van. The payload is also pretty impressive at 1,015kg. Given it’s an EV, the EC35 is quiet on the move, and light steering means the EC35 is easy to manoeuvre around town. There are twin-sliding doors and a top-hinged tailgate as standard.
The interior feels pretty cheap even for a van, but there’s a 6.8-inch central screen with smartphone connectivity, plus a reversing camera as standard.
8. Land Rover Defender Hard Top
- Prices from £57,420
The cheapest route into Defender ownership is with the three-door ‘Hard Top’. Starting from over £57,000 it isn’t cheap, but you will get Land Rover’s incredible off-road ability, plus plenty of on-road presence.
There are two engine options for the Hard Top, a mild-hybrid, 3.0-litre six-cylinder diesel with 249bhp and 570Nm of torque. The same unit also comes with 350bhp in D350 guise with both paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and four wheel-drive. We found the lesser-powered D250 diesel still had plenty of punch for commercial duties.
Being a Defender, the Hard Top commercial version has excellent off-road abilities with hill descent control, roll stability control, a terrain response system and a transfer box with high and low ranges, making light work of any terrain. You can tow up to 3,500kg and Advanced Tow Assist allows you to reverse a trailer while the Defender takes care of the counter steering.
There are three ‘accessory packs’ for the Hard Top. The first is ‘Explorer’, which adds features such as mudflaps, a raised air intake, side-mounted box, roof rack and wheel arch protection. Then there’s ‘Adventure’, which includes a portable rinse system on top of Explorer’s features. ‘Urban’ pack adds metal pedals, a front undershield and a rear scuff plate.
7. Toyota Corolla Commercial
- Prices from £24,565 (excl VAT)
Toyota has smoothly transformed the Corolla estate into a van with the Corolla Commercial model. There aren’t any other estate-based vans in the UK right now, with the Corolla taking the place of the once-popular Vauxhall Astravan – making the Corolla Commercial an ideal car if you don’t need the space of a van, but need something more utilitarian than a standard estate car.
Choices are limited when it comes to the British-built Corolla Commercial. There’s only one engine to choose from, the same 1.8-litre petrol hybrid which is found in the regular Corolla hatchback.
Equipment levels are similar to the entry-level Corolla Touring Sport and as standard you get LED headlights, dual-zone climate control, an eight-inch display, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, a reversing camera, heated front passenger seats with powered lumbar support and a raft of safety equipment.
As it’s based on the estate, the Commercial doesn’t offer as much load space as a similarly-sized purpose-built van. Overall cargo capacity is 1,326 litres, while there's a payload of 425kg. The towing weight for the Corolla Commercial is the same as for the Touring Sports, at 750kg. The benefit of being based on the estate is that the Commercial drives just as well as the Touring Sports. We’re impressed by the Corolla, so much so that the Touring Sport was crowned our Estate Car of the Year 2023 and commended the Corolla Commercial in our Van of the Year category at the New Car Awards.
6. Ford Transit Connect
The old Ford Transit Connect was one of the best small vans on the market, offering plenty of choice in both bodystyles and trim levels while being surprisingly fun to drive. Ford introduced the latest Transit Connect with the aim of improving building on these qualities.
The current Transit Connect offers more load space than its predecessor. It’s able to accommodate two euro pallets in both standard and long wheelbase form, with these versions offering total load space of 3.1 and 3.7 cubic metres respectively. If you need the flexibility of extra seats, the Transit Connect Kombi can seat up to five people and has a unique mechanism that allows the second row of seats to fold upwards to create a full-height bulkhead and a load space of up to 3.1 cubic metres.
Under the bonnet, you can choose between a 2.0-litre EcoBoost turbo diesel engine or a plug-in hybrid. The diesel produces 101bhp or 120bhp, returning up to 58.8mpg. The PHEV (Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) powertrain can run on all-electric power for up to 68 miles.
The Transit Connect could easily rival Ford’s passenger cars when it comes to on-board tech. As standard the Connect comes with a 10-inch digital instrument cluster, paired with a 10-inch central touchscreen that runs on Ford’s latest SYNC 4 infotainment software with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There are even two USB-C charging ports capable of 45 watts which can charge laptops or tools on the go.
5. Volkswagen Caddy Cargo
- Prices from £28,752
The Volkswagen Caddy has the kind of quality that wouldn't look out of place within VW's car range, and as a result it's one of the most comfortable small vans on the UK market. The fifth-generation model starts from just under £29,000 (inc VAT).
There are numerous versions of the Caddy to choose from, starting with the short-wheelbase then the larger Maxi with Commerce, Commerce Plus and Commerce Pro trim levels available on both. Top-spec Commerce Pro models are well equipped with parking sensors front and rear, rear LED lights, a 10-inch sat-nav system and powered and heated mirrors. Even the base-spec Commerce is well equipped, getting Bluetooth, cruise control, pedestrian warning and brake assist. There’s also a Caddy MPV option and a California version for those seeking to use the Caddy for camping trips.
A range of 2.0-litre TDI diesels come with six-speed manual or seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox. The single petrol offering is the 113bhp 1.5-litre TSI unit.
4. Mercedes Citan
- Prices from £21,310
Europe got the new Citan back in 2021 but we were made to wait until 2023 for Mercedes’ latest small van. It’s available in various sizes, a short-wheelbase ‘L1’ and long wheelbase ‘L2’ form plus a five-seat Crew van and an all-electric eCitan.
The Citan shares the same body and platform as the Renault Kangoo, as well as the same 1.5-litre, four-cylinder diesel engine – producing 94bhp and 260Nm of torque. It’s an economical unit, achieving 54.3mpg on a combined cycle and can be specced with either a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. If you want to ditch diesel, the electric Citan has a range of up to 176 miles and can be charged from 10-80 per cent in 38 minutes on a DC fast charger.
Although the exterior might look similar to the Kangoo, the interior borrows technology from other Mercedes models. Some current Mercedes styling cues and switchgear can be seen around the cabin and the firm’s MBUX infotainment system offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The steering wheel equipped with touchpad buttons adds to the overall premium feel of the Citan.
3. Citroen Berlingo/Fiat Doblo/Peugeot Partner/Toyota Proace City/Vauxhall Combo
- Berlingo prices from £25,455 (inc plug-in van grant)
Yep, the third best small van you can buy is a five-way tie. That’s because the Citroen Berlingo, Fiat Doblo, Peugeot Partner, Toyota Proace City and Vauxhall Combo are essentially the same vehicle so choosing between them will come down to what kind of deal you can get and if you possess any particular brand loyalty.
They all use the same running gear and are largely identical from the leading edge of the bonnet all the way to the back doors. There are pure-electric versions of each, with the Vauxhall Combo-e, Citroen e-Berlingo, Peugeot E-Partner, Fiat e-Doblo and Toyota Proace City Electric all offering around 205 miles of range thanks to a 50kWh battery. They’re all eligible for the government’s plug-in van grant of £2,500 as well. The Toyota and Fiat both have a five-year warranty compared with the three years offered on the others.
The platform mixes cargo volume of the last Partner/Berlingo with the latest safety and engine technology seen in cars such as the Peugeot 3008 and Citroen C4 SpaceTourer. That means they're all practical, with a payload of up to a tonne available on some versions, while tech such as adaptive cruise control, lane assist and blind spot monitoring are all offered.
You can have two or three seats – there's a clever through-loading bulkhead available with the latter – and an optional switchable traction control system is available to boost grip on the building site. All vans get excellent cabin storage, while you have a choice of L1 or L2 body lengths or a Crew Van, which is a sort of stepping stone to the Citroen Berlingo/Peugeot Rifter/Vauxhall Combo Life MPV variants.
2. Ford Transit Courier
- Prices from £16,200 (excl VAT)
If the Ford Transit Connect is a little on the large side, the more compact Ford Transit Courier has you covered.
Despite its small stature, the Transit Courier features a maximum loadspace of 2.9 cubic metres, which should easily fit two euro pallets. The cargo space also has a load-through bulkhead, a maximum payload of 845kg and the Transit Courier can tow up to 1,100kg depending on the powertrain.
While the range isn’t as broad as the Connect’s, the Courier is available in Leader, Trend, Limited and Active trim levels, each coming with a generous offering of on-board tech and equipment. An 8-inch touchscreen featuring Ford’s latest SYNC 4 infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, High Beam Assist, Ford Co-Pilot 360 Assist and cruise control all come as standard across the range.
The Courier is offered in a single body style with two variants of the 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine or a 1.5-litre EcoBlue diesel engine. Manual or automatic transmissions are available.
1. Renault Kangoo/Nissan Townstar
- Kangoo prices from £20,250 (excl VAT)
The current Renault Kangoo was launched in 2022 and like its predecessor it shares a platform with the Mercedes Citan. There has been such an improvement over the previous generation, we named it out 2023 Van of the Year at our New Car Awards.
There are internal-combustion engined variants of the Kangoo with one petrol and two diesels on offer. The 99bhp TCe petrol kicks off the range in lower Advance trim at around £20,250 excluding VAT. Extra trim models come with more equipment as standard and are around £1,500 more expensive than equivalent Advance models. Pure-electric E-Tech Kangoos start from around £37,000.
The all-electric E-Tech model features a 45kWh battery powering a 121bhp electric motor. Although the battery size is down on the Citroen e-Berlingo and Peugeot e-Partner, range sits at a decent 186 miles and 105 miles can be added within 27 minutes at a fast charger.
Even the entry-level Kangoos are well equipped, coming with a DAB radio with Bluetooth connectivity, a USB port, automatic headlights, automatic windscreen wipers, hill start assist and cruise control. Extra models receive an eight-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility, an electronic handbrake, reverse parking sensors and 16-inch wheels. On top of this, wireless smartphone charging, adaptive cruise control and a rearview camera are all available as optional extras. Two side sliding doors come as standard across all trim levels.
One downside to the Kangoo is a lack of a thru-load bulkhead so if you’re regularly transporting longer items then the Renault might not be a perfect fit.
Best small vans to buy 2023
- Renault Kangoo/Nissan Townstar
- Ford Transit Courier
- Citroen Berlingo/Fiat Doblo/Peugeot Partner/Toyota Proace City/Vauxhall Combo
- Mercedes Citan
- Volkswagen Caddy Cargo
- Ford Transit Connect
- Toyota Corolla Commercial
- Land Rover Defender Hard Top
- DFSK EC35
- Suzuki Jimny Commercial
Choosing the right small van
Buy a small van, and you’re buying a versatile set of wheels. Small vans need to be short enough to navigate tight, narrow lanes in towns and cities and slot through width restrictions with ease, while also providing enough cargo space, a decent payload and wide-opening and sliding doors.
Big sellers such as the Citroen Berlingo Van, Ford Transit Connect and VW Caddy follow a simple formula which is standard throughout the small van sector. There is usually just a single sliding side door (a second door will be often optional), plus barn doors at the back, usually in a 60:40 split (again, some vans offer the option of a top-hinged tailgate). More often than not there's a steel bulkhead dividing the load area from the passenger compartment – although some vans still only offer this as an option – while some vans offer a through-loading bulkhead to accommodate longer items. Ply lining for the load area is often a common extra which can be specced during the order process.
In terms of bodystyles, there aren't as many options as you’d find in the larger medium van sector, but there’s still plenty of variation. Most small vans come in at least two body lengths, but high roof variants are less common, while conversions are virtually non-existent. Crew Vans usually feature a basic folding bulkhead with an integrated second row of seats. These are designed for work transport rather than being considered an alternative to an MPV, because the sliding side doors will usually only have glass if you add it as an option. Besides, the leading lights in the small van class are available as MPVs, which are far more suited to family life.
The vast majority of small vans are front-wheel drive, although some vans and commercial vehicles have the option of off-road packages that add switchable traction control and all-season tyres that provide extra traction. If you want four-wheel drive, then you have the option of a commercial 4x4. These are based on SUVs, but have their windows blacked out, all the back seats stripped out and a long, flat load area put in their place. These models are an interesting stop-gap between a small van and a pick-up truck, because they offer nearly as much cargo volume and security as a small van, but with the off-road ability of a pick-up truck, if not the payload capacity.
Diesel is the most common fuel choice for small vans. There are a handful of petrol-engined small vans available, but there are just as many electric versions on offer these days, which are ideal for short urban delivery routes, zero-emissions running and last mile transport. They often have enough driving range for a day's work at low speeds, while the Government's £2,500 Plug-in Van Grant applies to vans which meet the relevant criteria. Some small vans are also being offered with plug-in hybrid powertrains, too.
Today's small vans deliver a driving experience that will be a surprise to most. Vans such as the Ford Transit Connect and Vauxhall Combo are surprisingly agile and if driving dynamics really matter then car-based vans like the Corolla Commercial are ideal candidates. The level of kit on board is also starting to match passenger cars, including safety gear, with assorted cameras, lane assist functions and automatic emergency braking on offer, although usually as an option.
Need a bit more cargo space? These are the best medium-sized vans to buy...
