The most popular van brands in the UK are generally consistent. Ford, VW, Mercedes and Vauxhall typically make their way into the top ten year-on-year. But 2022 has been a weird year.
Other than a slight uptick in September brand, new van sales have been notably lower in 2022 than in previous years. Monthly sales have tailored off to below 22,500 – a decline of around 18% from last year.
Sales in electric vans are down by 80.7% – presumably because they are more expensive to buy than traditional petrol-powered commercial fleets. And not as cost-effective to run as mainstream media reports.
However, the surge in petrol and diesel prices will surely make electric vehicles a more attractive proposition in 2023. The Express newspaper suggests the same “now” survey shows electric cars are more cost-efficient than diesel fleets.
Therefore, it’s worth bearing in mind that the best van brands in 2022, may not necessarily be the cheapest brand new van option in 2023. So what were the best brand new vans this year?
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Best New Brand Vans 2022
Ford boxed off the list of top ten best van brands in 2022. There Ford Transit Connect sold 716 units whilst the Ford Transit Custom racked up 2463 sales.
The Connect and the Custom have been longstanding contenders for the best brand new vans thanks to their impressive payload and fuel efficiency. The vans offer even better value for money by fitting a van racking system to maximise the load volume.
The complete list of the top ten most popular van brands in the UK is below, ranked in descending order from 10th to 1st.
- Ford Transit Connect
- Vauxhall Movano
- Vauxhall Vivaro
- Peugeot Expert
- Renault Trafic
- Ford Ranger
- Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
- Volkswagen Transporter
- Ford Transit
- Ford Transit Custom
The Ford Transit Custom has long been a popular van brand with UK tradesmen and business fleets. The winner of the Parkers Van of the Year Award in the medium-van range. Offering a refined driving experience, the Custom is a complete all-rounder and offers excellent value for money. Its big brother, coming in at number two was the highest seller in the large van category.
The third-placed Volkswagen Transporter also received rave reviews as the second-best large van in the UK. The specs and functionality of the Transporter are more or less equal to the Ford Transit. But Ford beats Volkswagen on price which is probably the deciding factor.
If price is a chief consideration for you, take a look at the cheapest brand new vans below.
What are the Cheapest Brand New Vans in the UK?
The following list of cheapest van brands in the UK comes from AutoExpress. Prices may vary between dealers.
- Ford Transit Courier – from £13,270
- Fiat Fiorino – from £14,715
- Vauxhall Combo – from £16,388.33
- Citroen Berlingo – from £16,380
- Ford Fiesta Van – from £16,522
- Fiat Doblo Cargo – from £16,725
- Mercedes-Benz Citan from £16,950
- Transit Connect – from £17,050
- Nissan NV250 – from £17,090
- Peugot Partner – from £17,555
Ford beat the competition on cost again in the list of cheapest brand new vans. The American car manufacturer also leads the way in safety features and delivers a fuel economy of 52.3mpg for diesel. It’s not the best fuel economy but it’s not the worst either.
It will be interesting to see whether the leading van brands in the UK step up the production of their E-vehicles in 2023. The purchase cost of electric cars is closer to petrol and diesel engines now. And if they can deliver the cheaper running costs we are promised, the list of the best van brands in 2023 should look quite different.
