Best big panel vans 2016/2017 ~ station of gear

20 Nov, 2016 3:30pm

Need a new big van? Our guide to the best large panel vans on the market right now will help you find the right model…

No sector of the car or light commercial vehicle market offers the level of choice that’s open to the big panel van customer. The choice isn’t necessarily in terms of the range of panel van makes and models that are out there. Rather, it comes in the huge array or body styles, dimensions, payload capacities, engines, transmissions, specifications and bespoke modifications that these large panel vans are available with.

It can be baffling but it does mean that buyers can get a big van that’s perfectly tailored to the needs of their business. They may just need a little help to negotiate the minefield that is the big van market and find the best panel van to buy. That’s where this guide to the best large panel vans comes in.

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Whether it’s a standard short-wheelbase van with a one-tonne payload, a refrigerated 3.5t long-wheelbase high-top, or a high-roof combi with crew seats, sliding side doors and four-wheel-drive, the panel van in all its various formats is the backbone of Britain’s commercial vehicle market. If you need a van for short-haul city trips, long-distance multiple-drop delivery driving, or simply transporting you, your colleagues and your tools from job to job, there’s a panel van to suit.

It’s a crowded market though, with well-known names like the Ford Transit, Mercedes Sprinter, Volkswagen Crafter and Vauxhall Movano all vying for your cash. It’s also a complicated market with manufacturers regularly joining forces to share development costs and offer customers differently badged versions of the same van. Vauxhall, Renault and Nissan use the same platform as the basis for their Movano/Master/NV400 model for example, while the Peugeot Boxer, Citroen Relay and Fiat Ducato are also essentially one and the same.

Of course, if a large panel van is a little too cumbersome, our guides to the best mid-sized panel vans and the best compact vans are available to help. Here though, we’re focused on the biggest light commercial vehicles on the market, looking at key factors like economy, running costs, specification, availability of specialist conversions and, of course, driver comfort to deliver our verdict on the best choices. For fleet managers, small businesses and owner-drivers alike, this is out take on the best big vans on sale.

Check out the links on the left or below to see our favourite big vans, and then click through for the full Auto Express review of each of the models listed...

Best large panel vans 2016/2017

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