What Van? Britain's biggest and best van buyers' guide

The medium van segment is an interesting place at present, with the established players set for a renewed attack by those brands with less pedigree for success in the sector.

New models from Citroen, Peugeot, Fiat Professional, Toyota and Nissan all arrive on UK roads before the end of this year, and all replace models that haven’t in recent years got close to challenging the established top five of – in 2015 registration figure order – Ford Transit Custom, Vauxhall Vivaro, VW Transporter, Renault Trafic and Mercedes-Benz Vito.

Of the outgoing Citroen Dispatch, Peugeot Expert, Fiat Scudo, Toyota Proace and Nissan Primastar, which admittedly disappeared from sale during 2015, only the Peugeot made it into the top 25 biggest–selling light commercials, registering 4885 vehicles versus the table-topping Transit Custom’s 42,839.

But all of these brands have ambitious plans to upset the status quo, and many are related underneath, with the new Citroen Dispatch, Peugeot Expert and Toyota Proace all sharing the same underpinnings, while the Fiat Talento – which replaces the Scudo – and Nissan NV300 (replacing the Primastar) are both using the Renault Trafic as a base vehicle.

Sister brands Peugeot and Citroen are looking to double their combined market share with their new medium vans to something more akin with what the rest of the range achieves. The new LCVs tout a range of technology firsts for the light commercial vehicle market, including electric side doors that open with a swing of a foot below the sill and a head-up display of current speed, speed limit and navigation instructions.

The Dispatch and Expert come in an identical range of 115hp 1.6 and 120hp, 150hp and 180hp 2.0 diesels, with the 1.6-litre diesel recording an official best in class fuel economy figure of 55.3mpg.

The bodystyles encompass three vehicle lengths of compact, medium and long, with the compact being a significantly smaller vehicle that straddles the medium and light van sectors.

Following close behind this pair is partner firm Toyota, which has been involved in the development of the new van, known as Proace by the Japanese brand. Along with the new Hilux that recently hit the market, the Proace is part of a renewed focus on the LCV sector that involves significant investment at dealer level by the Japanese brand.