Best small vans 2024 – tried and tested
They may be small on the outside, but the vans on this list still offer generous load space and a hefty payload allowance...
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.
The 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey is live, tell us about your car now
How we choose the best small vans
Our expert team of van reviewers put every small van in the UK through its paces. That plethora of tests, backed up by decades of reviewing expertise, means that when we name the best small vans, it’s a verdict you can rely on.
Key to the quality of our van reviews is that we understand the elements that are vital to small van buyers, so we pay particular attention to the following areas:
Decent payload and carrying capacities are essential, so we see how much we can get into the back of each model – including a standard Euro pallet. We check access to the load area and the lashing or mounting points to secure your cargo. We also look at in-cab storage for drinks and work equipment, awarding extra points for features such as hidden storage trays or a folding front passenger seat.
Long hours behind the wheel require a comfortable and supportive driver’s seat. This must be easily adjustable – along with the steering wheel – to suit drivers of all shapes and sizes. We also measure road and wind noise, as well as engine noise on combustion-engined models, because this is key to long-distance comfort.
Our performance tests aren’t simply about 0-62mph times; they also indicate how well a van delivers its power – providing the muscle to haul you and your cargo along, without costing you a fortune in fuel. Electric vans must provide enough range to let you complete a full day’s work before needing to recharge. We also check each van’s turning circle to ensure that it can fit down tight city streets and narrow roads, and assess ride comfort to check that it can cope with pock-marked UK Tarmac.
While these areas undergo particular scrutiny, we test small vans in every area to ensure our reviews and the most extensive around. You can learn more about those in our dedicated how we test vans feature.
