Best small vans 2024 – tried and tested

Whether you're a painter and decorator, a delivery driver or just someone who regularly needs to move more luggage than a standard car can manage, then a small van could be your next best bet.

Small vans are typically no larger than many family cars or executive cars, yet for tradespeople working in the city, are ever-important for manouvering around increasingly busy streets.

Any small van worth its salt will be short enough to fit into the kind of tight parking spaces you'll see in a typical city centre, and narrow enough to fit through width restrictors. The best will also provide a good payload limit, allowing you to carry anything you might wish, along with flexible cargo space and an interior that's comfortable enough for long trips. Plus, they need to offer economical yet powerful engines, along with good visibility.

Our team of experienced road testers have spent hours testing every small van on the market, assessing everything from their performance to their practicality, and from comfort to running costs. And after all that testing, they've determined that the Renault Kangoo is Britain's best small van. 

We recognise that the Kangoo might not tick all boxes for all drivers, though, so we've also provided our rundown of what we consider to be the other models that ought to be on your shortlist. Plus, we've named the small van which we think is best avoided.

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