Van and Commercial Vehicle Awards 2022: Best Medium Van

Priced from £23,595  Economy 31.7-40.9mpg CO2 emissions 67-234g/km Load space 6-8.3m3 Payload 686-1460kg Power 103-183bhp Torque 228-306lb ft

While the Ford Transit Custom is the winner of our best medium van to drive category, it also offers low running costs and is very practical. In fact, it’s the Swiss Army Knife of the van world, with multiple sizes available, alongside alternative roof heights, a wide range of engines and a plug-in hybrid version. 

Even in those areas where it’s not the market leader, it isn’t far off. This is true of its dimensions, where the Stellantis-made Citroën Dispatch, Peugeot Expert and Vauxhall Vivaro offer more capacity, but don’t have the breadth of strengths that the Transit Custom does.

New off-road and lifestyle-focused Active and Trail trim levels broaden the appeal of the Transit Custom still further, adding luxury leather touches or go-anywhere ability.

And the Transit Custom isn’t just a medium-sized van either; with gross vehicle weights ranging from 2.6 tonnes to 3.4 tonnes it steps on the toes of its bigger Transit sibling. Plus, it trounces rivals such as the Mercedes Vito and Volkswagen Transporter, giving you as much as 200kg more payload than their best performing variants. 

Ford recently reacted well to an injector issue affecting some EcoBlue diesel engines and has in the past made steps to address security concerns. So, despite some teething troubles, the Transit Custom has deservedly been the UK’s best-selling van since it went on sale.

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