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Fiat’s Ducato van has become the first model to earn a top Platinum score from the Commercial Van Safety Rating programme.

The scheme was first introduced last year, by safety organisations Euro NCAP and Thatcham Research, and assesses vans based on the availability of autonomous emergency braking (AEB), speed limiter, lane support, and seatbelt reminder systems, as well as the performance of active safety technology.

New ratings for 2022 have now been released, and see the Ducato jump from a 28% Bronze-graded rating to an 88% Platinum rating, making it the first ever Platinum-rated van.

This was attributed to an all-round strong performance by its AEB and speed assistance systems, as well as the introduction of lane keep assist.

Thatcham Research chief research strategy officer Matthew Avery said: “Fiat have completely raised the bar this year and we welcome the brand’s response to our calls for improved safety on vans. 

“To jump 60% from one assessment to the next is very impressive and we congratulate the brand for achieving the world’s first Platinum rating.

“It is also good news that this Platinum rating has been achieved by a shared van platform within the Stellantis group. The Ducato’s performance has the potential to benefit a huge chunk of the market because the Vauxhall Movano, Peugeot Boxer and Citroën Relay share the same production platform. We hope the Ducato’s features will be made available on these vans too.”

Other vans to improve in this year’s ratings include the Ford Transit Custom, which has gone from Silver to Gold; the Renault Trafic, which has gone from Not Recommended to Silver, and the Vauxhall Movano, which has gone from Not Recommended to Bronze.

The worst van assessed was the Nissan Interstar – the only van out of 19 rated to be Not Recommended this year. Although it shares the same platform as the Bronze-rated Renault Master, the Nissan is marked down for not being offered with AEB.

Avery said: “This is a great example where a manufacturer, in this case Nissan, has decided to dismiss the value of a critical safety feature and put marketing before engineering. That’s disappointing and doesn’t reflect the good safety performance of the brand’s passenger cars.

“The 2022 results clearly show fleet operators and business owners which vans they should be choosing. 

“Specifying ADAS technology has a value. It can help prevent an expensive vehicle being off the road for repairs, drivers being off sick, and any reputational damage that can be caused to a company after an accident. ADAS has the power to keep businesses moving and delivering for their customers.”

Avery added that more work still needed to be done overall to bring van safety standards closer to those seen in the new car market.

He said: “These results are a step in the right direction and we applaud the brands that have moved forward. But the fact remains it’s difficult to buy a new car without advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), whereas it’s still difficult to buy a van with ADAS.

“These are two vehicle types that share the same road space, so they should have parity.

“With next year’s Commercial Van Safety Rating assessing standard fit safety systems rather than available technology, van manufacturers still have a lot of work to do.”

The full list of ratings was as follows: