As the name suggests, the best medium-sized panel vans offer more space than smaller compact vans, but without the sheer bulk of a full-sized large panel van. This combination makes mid-size vans easier to drive around towns and cities, while still being able to carry a large amount of cargo in terms of weight and load volume.
Most medium vans offer a payload area which can carry at least two Europallets, and their payload weights can often match, or even exceed, those of large vans. It’s because of this blend of talents that medium panel vans are the perfect fit for many UK businesses. Typically, the range of body styles available in the medium panel van class isn’t as wide as it is with large panel vans but there are still plenty of different vehicle lengths, roof heights and body styles to choose from.
Modern vans are also fitted with many of the luxuries and technology that you can find in cars from the same brand. Not only does this make them much more pleasant and comfortable to drive every day, but they are also a lot safer than the vans of the past, too.
The majority of the UK’s major commercial vehicle manufacturers are present in this class including big names like Citroen, Fiat, Ford, Mercedes, Nissan, Peugeot, Renault, Toyota, Vauxhall and Volkswagen. However, while that’s quite a roll call, there are a number of joint ventures in this list, with many manufacturers offering virtually the same van with only slightly different specifications and their own badge on the nose. We’ll explain all below.
What are the best medium panel vans?
We’ve thoroughly tested every medium-sized panel van in the UK to find the very best choices for your business. Read on to see our top picks in reverse order.
8. LEVC VN5
The London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) is best known for building the current generation of London Black Cab, the TX, but now the firm is looking to expand its sales reach by branching out into the commercial vehicle market. Based on the famous London Black Cab, the VN5 is a plug-in hybrid range-extender (REx) van that can travel up to 61 miles on battery power alone, and has a total range of around 300 miles once the petrol engine kicks in to drive the electric motor.
