Small vans do a huge range of jobs and are an accessible way into the world of commercial vehicles when you haven’t driven anything bigger than a car before. We have rounded up the best small vans on sale in the UK right now.
You can get them with petrol or diesel engines and there is an ever-increasing number of electric versions to choose from.
Despite their small dimensions, some of them are really strong, too – the best small vans will carry a payload of 1,000kg these days, so you need not make loads of trips to get your jobs done.
We’ve driven all of the small vans that you can buy in the UK to bring you this comprehensive top 10 list of the best small panel vans.
This factors in the 2024 Parkers New Car Awards, with our reigning Best Small Van winner heading the pack, but there are plenty of other vans you can choose from. For more advice about electric small vans in particular, check out our dedicated best electric vans page.
Once you’ve made your mind up you can get insurance quotes from our partner business mustard.co.uk, and search for new and used examples via our vans for sale pages.
The best small vans UK 2024
9. Toyota Corolla Commercial
The only hybrid car-derived van you can buy
Strictly speaking the Toyota Corolla Commercial is not a small panel van, but as a car-derived van it is certainly not large.
We’ve included it here as it is small enough to not feel intimidating to a non-van driver, which is one of the major bonuses of commercial vehicles this size. In true car-derived van style, it is essentially a lightly modified car cabin up front, which means you get plenty of high-end kit and loads of comfort. It’s also the only conventional hybrid commercial vehicle you can buy, so you get a touch of electrification without going full EV.
Price new: from £22,590*
Load space: 1.3 cubic metres
Max payload: 425kg
Fuel economy: 55.6-61.4mpg
Read our full Toyota Corolla Commercial review
8. Nissan Townstar
The best small van if you want to avoid diesel
The Nissan Townstar will look familiar when placed next to a couple of other of the best small vans in this list – it is fundamentally the same vehicle as the Mercedes Citan and Renault Kangoo.
The difference here is that the Townstar is only offered with a petrol engine or an electric motor – there is no diesel. This will narrow its attraction for some, but it is very much in taking with where the car market is moving, so it might well appeal to those who want an urban van.
It’s otherwise a smart and capable small van, although it is rather simple in the practicality stakes and others have a bigger payload.
Price new: from £21,175*
Load space: 3.3-4.2 cubic metres
Max payload: 762kg
Fuel economy: 41.4mpg
Read the full Nissan Townstar review
7. Volkswagen Caddy Cargo
Best small van for pretending you’re driving a Golf
Caddy Cargo is the latest name for the Volkswagen Caddy van. It uses the same MQB platform as many VW Group cars, making it better to drive and more technologically advanced than before. The latest ‘twin-dosing’ diesel engines are super-clean, too.
In addition to the standard front-wheel drive models, you can have the Caddy Cargo with 4Motion four-wheel drive, plus there’s a DSG transmission option if you prefer an automatic small van instead of one with a manual gearbox. There are two body lengths and a Caddy California campervan to choose from as well.
There’s one big reason it comes further down this list than you might imagine – payload. Where some of its rivals can carry 1,000kg or more, the Caddy Cargo can only take just under 700kg, which is a significant percentage less than you might hope for these days.
Price new: from £22,570*
Load space: 3.1-3.7 cubic metres
Max payload: 692g
Fuel economy: 41.5-57.6mpg
Read our full VW Caddy Cargo review
6. Mercedes-Benz Citan
Best small van for a smart cabin
The Citan is Mercedes-Benz’s small van version of the Renault Kangoo and Nissan Townstar. The three aren’t totally identical, with each brand taking a slightly different approach. Mercedes, unsurprisingly, has gone for a little more luxury in the cabin and a tweaked suspension setup.
Mercedes has been more selective with the engine range in the UK, too, with only the one 1.5-litre diesel and the electric model offered.
Like the Renault and Nissan it is a good van, it just falls short of rivals in several important areas, payload above all.
Price new: from £21,310*
Load space: 3.1-3.7 cubic metres
Max payload: 737kg
Fuel economy: 51.5-53.3mpg
Read our full Mercedes-Benz Citan review
5. Renault Kangoo
Best small van for modern electrification
The latest Renault Kangoo has loads going for it – it has a modern cabin, an excellent level of safety kit and an electric version that feels seamlessly integrated. It also comes with a diesel version for those that aren’t ready to make the step to an EV just yet.
Unusually for a van, the bigger model is the one that comes with the higher payload, thanks to a heavy duty rear axle. This makes it a real rarity in this whole sector.
The slight problem is that the right-hand drive version doesn’t come with the clever kit that its continental cousin offers. The fact that the longer version has the higher payload is real bonus, but there is nothing different about the physical loading area for example.
Price new: from £20,250*
Load space: 3.3-4.2 cubic metres
Max payload: 987kg
Fuel economy: 53.3mpg
Read our full Renault Kangoo review
4. Ford Transit Connect
Best small van for choice and fun, decent payload
This small Transit Connect van is still going, despite its replacement having been waiting in the wings for some time now. It remains a regular best seller for many good reasons. It offers many of the attributes that make Fords great – it is really good to drive, has plenty of tech, offers a boosted payload on some versions and there are some models that are more geared towards the lifestyle market. There is a good choice of sizes too, with an L1 and long-wheelbase L2 body size to pick from.
You can even get it with an eight-speed automatic transmission to make life easier in traffic. The all-new model is set to be quite different, though, with it being a VW Caddy wearing a Ford badge.
Price new: from £23,500*
Loadspace: 2.6-4.4 cubic metres
Max payload: 833kg
Fuel economy: 49.6-52.1mpg
Read our full Ford Transit Connect review
3. Ford Transit Courier
Best smaller compact van
The Transit Courier is the smallest van in Ford’s range, but the latest version sits in a slightly different spot in the range than the previous model. For a start, it is now the smallest outright, now that the Fiesta Van is no longer on sale.
Secondly, it is much bigger than it used to be, having grown in all directions compared with the last generation. As an illustration, the loading compartment is 0.6m3 bigger and can now take two Euro pallets.
There is also an electric version on the way, as well as a choice of petrol and diesel engines. That payload might be smaller than the rest of the vans on this list, but the whole van is smaller, and cheaper too.
Price new: £16,200*
Loadspace: 2.3 cubic metres
Max payload: 595kg
Fuel economy: 42.1-55.4mpg
Read our full Ford Transit Courier review
2. Citroen Berlingo / Peugeot Partner / Vauxhall Combo Cargo / Fiat Doblo
Best small vans for collective all-round capability
Four vans all in one group? These Citroen, Fiat, Peugeot and Vauxhall small vans are technically identical and there is little to choose between them bar some minor spec differences here and there, but even those gaps have closed as Stellantis has looked to bring the four closer to one another. They have more in common than they don’t, though, and they are comfortable and refined, with fantastic practicality.
There are petrol, electric and crew-cab versions, too, with the latter particularly clever as you can easily move the seats to use them as a proper van if you need the space.
A roomy cab makes them the best three-seater small vans, too. Payload ratings above 1,000kg are available, while high-tech features include clever cameras. They have twice been Parkers Small Van of The Year award winners.
Price new: from £19,555*
Loadspace: 3.3-4.4 cubic metres
Max payload: 1,059kg
Fuel economy: 37.1-46.0mpg
Read our full reviews of the Citroen Berlingo, Fiat Doblo, Peugeot Partner, and Vauxhall Combo
Find Citroen Berlingo, Fiat Doblo, Peugeot Partner, and Vauxhall Combo vans for sale near you
1. Toyota Proace City
The Parkers Small Van of The Year 2024
The Proace City is built for Toyota by Stellantis, and is yet another version of the four vans above. But there’s more to this than the Toyota nose job. The Proace City packs in all the same major features as the others, but come with one big advantage: warranty cover for up to 10 years. As standard.
As with all of its vans, the Proace City is part of the Toyota Relax warranty programme. Add the growing Toyota Professional dealer network, and it seems a no-brainer to us that the Proace City is the best small van to choose. Which is why we made it our 2022, 2023 and 2024 Parkers Small Van of The Year.
Price new: from £23,496*
Loadspace: 3.3-3.9 cubic metres
Max payload: 1,000kg
Fuel economy: 42.9-51.4mpg
Read our full Toyota Proace City review
Further small van buying advice
Why buy a small van?
Small vans used to be basic boxes on wheels, with few creature comforts – keeping prices low but often leaving drivers feeling short-changed. These days, whether you want high safety levels, fancy technology or sporty looks, there’s now a small van to suit you.
Their size makes them great for driving around busy towns and cities, and you shouldn’t find them difficult to park. Most are available with camera systems to help with this. Even entry-level engines should have plenty of oomph for these urban journeys.
A small work van is ideal for businesses that need this agility, such as local delivery firms including motor factors and florists, or those that don’t require the space of a larger van, such as mobile valeting companies and decorators.
But if you plan to go further afield it’s worth paying extra for a more powerful model. These will be better on the motorway, haul heavier loads more easily and often return better real-world mpg.
Just make sure that whatever van you choose has enough space and carrying capacity for your needs. You don’t want to be buying a different model just a few months down the line.
What sort of small van should I buy?
As well as the small panel vans, there are also car-derived vans and smaller commercial 4x4s to choose from if you’re after a little van, although there are fewer new models on sale compared with years gone by.
Both of these types of small van are based on passenger vehicles, and have reduced load areas and payloads compared with small vans proper. However, they are usually also better equipped and nicer to drive.
That said, car-derived vans are often subject to the whims of the passenger car market – there were once commercial versions of several small cars, but now it’s just the Toyota Corolla Commercial.
Dedicated small commercial vehicle vans also come in different types. The most common are city vans the size of the Citroen Berlingo, Ford Transit Connect and Volkswagen Caddy, available in a choice of two body lengths: standard or short-wheelbase (SWB) on one hand and long-wheelbase (LWB) on the other, sometimes labelled Maxi.
Many of these are also available as crew vans, meaning a second row of seats for extra passengers.
The Ford Transit Courier is the littlest of the small vans but is more practical than a car-derived van, and usually cheaper.
All UK small vans are front-wheel drive (FWD) as standard. Some manufacturers offer packages that add grippier tyres and clever electronics to improve traction on slippery surfaces, which could be useful on building sites or in bad weather.
More rarely, there are some four-wheel drive (4WD, AWD or 4x4) small vans available – with Vauxhall offering a special Combo Cargo 4x4 conversion and Volkswagen the factory-built Caddy Cargo 4Motion.
Petrol, diesel or electric?
Diesel is the traditional fuel for all vans, and if you do a reasonably lengthy journey every day diesel still returns the best fuel economy.
But if you do lots of short journeys in towns, consider a petrol small van. These usually cost less to buy, can deliver good mpg if driven sensibly, and don’t have a diesel particulate filter (DPF) to get clogged up.
Electric small vans are becoming more and more tempting, too. Their motors are punchy at low speeds, making them great in traffic, they’re very quiet and relaxing to drive, and running costs are the lowest of all if you charge them on a sensible tariff.
Driving range can be limiting and they are expensive to buy outright – though often very competitive on monthly finance or leasing. On top of which, electric vans always come with an automatic transmission, something you’ll pay extra for with rival petrol and diesel models (if an auto is available on these at all).
Worth considering, and there’s far more info on our best electric vans page.
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