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

The impact of lockdown measures to suppress the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic saw the number of registrations in the 2.5t–3.5t van segment fall by 16.5% to 190,851 in 2020, despite strong demand for online shopping deliveries.

The star performer in the large van sector last year was the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, which was the second most popular LCV overall with 23,506 sales, ahead of the third-placed Ford Transit with 21,724. Once again, the Ford Transit Custom medium van was the UK’s best-selling van.

The Sprinter and the Transit were a long way clear of the third, fourth and fifth best-selling large vans – the Peugeot Boxer, Volkswagen Crafter and Citroen Relay.

The third quarter of 2020 saw the long-awaited arrival of the electric iteration of Mercedes’ large van.

The eSprinter comes with a 114hp electric motor, and in official WLTP testing can achieve a driving range of up to 96 miles when fitted with an optional 50mph speed limiter, or 83 miles with the standard 74mph limiter.

There is a choice of two different maximum DC charging speeds. The 20kW version can be charged from 10% to 80% in two hours, while the 80kW version takes 30 minutes.

Only one trim level is available, Progressive, with standard equipment including a heated driver’s seat, full-width partition, height and rake-adjustable steering wheel, air conditioning, DAB radio, Bluetooth with hands-free function, USB port, wooden load bay floor, eight-metre charging cable, headlight assistant, heat-insulating glass, and 270-degree double-wing rear doors.

Standard safety features include autonomous emergency braking, attention assist, crosswind assist, and emergency eCall, while security features include double locks and a Thatcham Category 1-approved alarm.

An even more recent electric arrival is the Maxus eDeliver 9, which comes hot on the heels of the brand’s new large diesel van, the Deliver 9, which debuted in June 2020. 

The Deliver 9 is powered by a 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine with 163hp and 375nm of torque, married to a six-speed manual gearbox. It is up for grabs with front or rear-wheel drive, and all derivatives include electric power steering and autonomous emergency braking. 

According to Maxus, a manual DPF regeneration button ensures the van can run at optimum levels, even when confined to urban assignments, by cleaning the particulate filter.

The eDeliver 9 comes with a 203hp electric motor and a choice of three battery sizes – 51.5kWh, 72kWh and 88.55kWh.