Best small vans 2024 – tried and tested

While the original Ford Transit Courier was based on the diminuitive Ford Fiesta, this latest version is based on the Ford Puma small SUV, and that means it's grown dramatically – resulting in more space for both people and cargo.

Indeed, with 2.9m3 of loadspace available, the Transit Courier compares well with rivals including the Citroën Berlingo and Vauxhall Combo Cargo, as well as Ford's own slightly larger Transit Connect.

You can have your Transit Courier with either petrol or diesel power, but it's the latter which we'd recommend for most drivers for its extra low-down pulling power. If you'd rather have a greener choice, then an all-electric Ford E-Transit Courier will be coming soon.

Its car-based underpinnings don't just make the Transit Courier great to drive, though – they also allow it to come with some truly impressive safety and assistance technology. Indeed, the Transit Courier acheived a Platinum Euro NCAP safety award when it was tested earlier this year, a first for any Ford commercial vehicle.

All things considered, then, it's little wonder that we named the Ford Transit Courier as our Best Small Van at the most recent Van and Commercial Vehicle Awards.

Read our full Ford Transit Courier review

The Renault Kangoo name is synonymous with good value among small van drivers, and the latest version – which won the Best Small Van category in our most recent Van and Commercial Vehicle Awards – stays true to that theme, with pricing that remains competitive against rivals, and the promise of plenty of kit on most versions.

We like the Kangoo's spacious interior and large load area, plus the fact that it's quieter on the road than previous models. Indeed, it's more versatile inside than the Ford Transit Connect and Volkswagen Caddy thanks to innovative features like the Easy Inside Rack, which allows you to store longer items, such as ladders, along the roof of the van. We've even lived with the Kangoo for six months, and it didn’t disappoint.

Read our full Renault Kangoo review 

Based on the latest Volkswagen Golf family car, the Volkswagen Caddy has a wealth of safety and driver assistance features that make it enjoyable, safe and relaxing to drive.

Inside the Caddy feels well built, and even though its 10.0in infotainment screen features some confusing menus, it does at least include Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring to keep you in touch with your co-workers. 

In terms of practicality, you can get more inside it thank you can in the Ford Transit Connect, but long-wheelbase versions of the Toyota Proace City – as well as its badge-engineered siblings from Citroën, Peugeot and Vauxhall – can hold more still. Our favourite 2.0-litre diesel engine endows the Caddy Cargo with plenty of low-down grunt, and should also help to keep your running costs in check.

Read our full Volkswagen Caddy review

If you're looking for a small van with a Ford badge on its bonnet, yet the Ford Transit Courier is just a bit too small for your needs, then the Transit Connect is the next logical step up.

It's a well-rounded van, but shines by being one of the best options in this class to drive – helped by the fact that it shares its underpinnings with cars including the Volkswagen Golf. You can choose between two 2.0-litre diesel engines producing either 101bhp or 120bhp, or a plug-in hybrid model with an official range of up to 74 miles. That could mean you could complete your commute, or your delivery route, without using any petrol.

All versions of the Transit Connect can carry a standard Euro Pallett in the rear, and there's a tota volume of 3.1m3 in the load bay – more than you'll get in the Volkswagen Caddy Cargo, but less than rivals including the Toyota Proace City and Vauxhall Combo Cargo.

We like the Transit Connect's interior, which is well thought out and sturdily constructed, but the infotainment system can be a bit sluggish to respond to your inputs.

Read our full Ford Transit Connect review

The Citroën Berlingo is one of four badge-engineered vans that largely share the same qualities. Like its siblings – the Peugeot Partner, Toyota Proace City and Vauxhall Combo Cargo – the Berlingo is decent to drive and can carry an impressive amount of cargo. It also comes fully stocked with safety and assistance kit, and gets the option of a slick automatic gearbox. 

Where the Berlingo carries a slight edge over its siblings is with its seats, which are comfy and provide the right kind of support for longer motorway trips. And while most of the materials used inside aren't what you'd call plush, they do at least feel hard-wearing. Enterprise models also come with a cradle which is useful for holding your mobile phone in place.

In terms of engines, the range-topping 1.5-litre diesel engine (called Blue HDi 130) is our top choice, because it has enough power to make easy work of long motorway journeys yet should still be efficient. There's also an electric e-Berlingo van which we've reviewed separately.

Read our full Citroën Berlingo review

Given that it's part of the badge-engineered foursome which also includes the Citroën Berlingo, Peugeot Partner and Toyota Proace City, it won't surprise you to learn that, like those models, the Vauxhall Combo Cargo is good to drive and comes with an economical line-up of engines – there's even the fully electric Vauxhall Combo Electric if you want to go green.

The 98bhp 1.5-litre diesel engine which we think would suit most drivers best offers plenty of pep, even when you've loaded the cargo bay with weight, and it comes with a smooth-shifting eight-speed automatic gearbox

The interior of the Combo Cargo is a very usable, if visually uninspiring, space, with lots of storage options for your odds and ends, and materials which feel like they'll stand up to years of rough work.

While every version of the Combo Cargo comes with decent safety and convenience kit, however, its price is ultimately higher than is badge-engineered siblings.

Read our full Vauxhall Combo Cargo review

Like its badge-engineered siblings, the Toyota Proace City gets its own styling to help it stand out from the small van crowd, but ultimately impresses in all the same ways as the Berlingo, the Combo Cargo and the Partner. That is to say, it's good to drive, has an interior which feels like it will stand the test of time, and can haul around an impressive amount of cargo.

However, the Proace City comes with more equipment as standard, and while that makes it more expensive than some rivals, it also comes with a better warranty should things go wrong (not that they should, with Toyota consistently being a top performer in our real-world Reliability Surveys). You'll be covered for five years with the Proace City versus three years for the Citroën, Peugeot and Vauxhall, and that gives the Proace City a slight edge here.

As in the Berlingo and the Combo Cargo above, it's the 98bhp 1.5-litre diesel engine which we think will suit most drivers best, but there's a lesser 74bhp of the same engine available too if you want to keep your costs down.

Read our full Toyota Proace City review

The Peugeot Partner is very similar to the Citroën Berlingo van, Toyota Proace City and Vauxhall Combo Cargo – that means it drives in the same manner as those vans, and that we recommend the same 1.5-litre diesel engine for most buyers.

It's worthy of standing in isolation though, not just because it looks different, but also because Peugeot has morphed its celebrated i-Cockpit design to fit into the small van. This unusual arrangement has you looking over a small steering wheel at the instruments, rather than through it, and in a segment where the driver is often the sole occupier, and therefore the centre of attention, we think it's worth looking at if you want something a little left-field.

Like the rest of Peugeot's van range, the Partner also uses artificial intelligence technology to assist with plotting sat-nav destinations. And if you'd rather go for an electric model, then we've reviewed the e-Partner separately.

Read our full Peugeot Partner review

Okay, so this commercial variant of the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports is masquerading as a small van, but there are plenty of reasons why you might choose one for your business.

For a start, being based on a car rather than a van, the ride is far more supple and well controlled than some of the other contenders here. Plus it has the kind of light, accurate steering which makes the Corolla Commercial easy to thread along city streets. Plus it's powered by the same 1.8-litre petrol engine and electric motor as the regular Corolla, which adds up to ultra-low running costs if you're able to maximise the time spent driving on electric power. Indeed, the official fuel economy is a healthy 64.2mpg.

There's no getting around the fact that almost every other van here will swallow more than the Corolla Commercial, but with a 1326-litre boot space behind the front seats, a payload capacity of 425kg, and a rubberised boot floor to help protect the rest of the interior, it's as practical as estate cars come.

There are compromises, of course, such as only having one passenger seat. But if your business has business in the city, you usually only carry yourself or one other, and you don't need all of the space that a traditional van affords, then the Corolla Commercial is tempting indeed.

Read our full Toyota Corolla Commercial review

Think of the Mercedes Citan as being the more glamorous cousin to the Renault Kangoo which features towards the top of this list. That's because both vans share many of their components under the skin, along with the Nissan Townstar. 

That's a good thing for the Citan, which despite only having one engine option at launch feels sprightly on city streets and is pleasantly quiet. The interior is a step above the Renault’s, too, with plenty of soft-touch materials and Mercedes' dazzling MBUX infotainment system, which is loaded with features and looks swish.

In terms of carrying capacity, the Citan again apes its Renault sibling, with a maximum payload of 667kg and being able to tow up to 1500kg.

It's a shame that the Citan misses out on some of the Kangoo's more practical features, though, which combined with a high price stops it from climbing any further up our rankings.

Read our full Mercedes Citan review