Best small vans under £10,000
Small vans have always been big news in the UK where congested streets and busy cities mean that a larger commercial vehicle isn't always practical.
We also find that quite a few private users like a small van, whether they're business owners or people with hobbies who want something that doubles up as a car during the week and a leisure vehicle at the weekends.
One thing is for certain, whether you're a courier, a florist or a mountain biking enthusiast, there's definitely a small van out there for you, with a huge amount of choice on the secondhand market for under £10,000.
Most of the small vans built in the last decade are impressive to drive, well-equipped and quite car-like to position on the road meaning they're often practical and comfortable for urban motoring as well as on the open road.
None of these are new vans, though, and if you're likely to be travelling into the London ULEZ or any of the UK's clean air zones, we'd encourage you to check the registration number of any potential purchase against any low emission areas in which you might be driving.
Here are the best small vans under £10,000 you can buy.
Best small vans for under £10,000 |
Ford Transit Connect
For many years, the Ford Transit Connect was the UK's best-selling small-to-medium van — and there's a very good reason for that. Not only did it benefit from Ford’s strong market presence as the leading LCV brand in the UK but it was also good to drive and extremely practical, with a large load bay and a choice of roof heights and wheelbase options. The previous generation model is still a highly sought-after van today but do be wary of problems caused by wet belt engines in 1.0-litre EcoBoost and 1.5-litre TDCi models.
Volkswagen Caddy Cargo
With its sturdy styling and VW Golf-style fascia, the Volkswagen Caddy Cargo is a small van with a premium feel-good factor and one that will also project a strong image of your company even if bought as a secondhand model, assuming you buy one in good condition. As well as its sturdy build and upmarket cabin, the previous-generation Volkswagen Caddy Cargo benefits from a strong range of diesel engines, the best combination of which is the 2.0-litre TDI with a six-speed manual gearbox.
Citroen Berlingo
The Citroen Berlingo has long been one of the most popular small vans on the market — and for a very good reason. Ever since the original Berlingo made its debut in 1996, the French brand’s small van has been a strong seller to both fleet and private customers. It has also proven remarkably resilient to rust, meaning that Berlingos tend to survive for a long time. Do be wary of oil pump and turbo problems on 1.6-litre diesel models and remember that not all Berlingos are ULEZ or CAZ compliant.
Vauxhall Combo
Unlike many of the vans in its class, the pre-2018 Vauxhall Combo is classed as a car-derived van, which means it can be driven at speed limits normally reserved for passenger vehicles. To some customers, including Royal Mail, this was a real selling point, while Vauxhall's prevalence in the fleet industry means there are loads of used Vauxhall Combos for sale today. They’re sturdy and practical vans but many have been abused, so be sure to check any potential purchase carefully.
Ford Transit Courier
Introduced in 2014 as the smallest member of the Ford van range, the original Ford Transit Courier was a very clever piece of design, using components from both the Ford Fiesta and the Ford B-Max — including the latter's dashboard — to minimise the cost of development, while also creating a small and nimble van that was great fun to drive. It successfully filled the gap left behind by the smaller Ford Transit Connect models and went on to become a stalwart of the Ford Transit van range.
Peugeot Partner
As the sister van to the Citroen Berlingo, the Peugeot Partner offers more of the same. But that's no bad thing because common with the Citroen, it's by far and away one of the best small vans that you can buy, as well as an entirely practical one. As with the Citroen Berlingo, be wary of oil pump and turbo issues with the 1.6-litre diesel and also be mindful of seized rear suspension beams on older examples — but as a sub-£10K van, the Partner is generally one of the most dependable, easiest and cheapest to own and run.
Fiat Doblo
Joint ventures have been common in the commercial vehicle industry for years and the 2010-2022 Fiat Doblo began life as a coalition between Fiat and General Motors, sharing many of its panels and most of its engines and gearboxes with the Vauxhall Combo. Our pick of the range is the super-frugal 1.3 MultiJet diesel, which is livelier than you'd expect given the engine size but also returns fuel economy comfortably over 60mpg. Ideal if you're looking for a secondhand van that won't cost the earth to run.
Renault Kangoo
With its narrow track, low roofline and low ride height, the previous-generation Renault Kangoo is atypical for a commercial vehicle, yet it also works. The low floor means a low roof, which in turn means it fits well into parking garages and under height restriction signs, yet still offers room for either one or two Euro pallets in the load bay, depending on whether you go for the short or long wheelbase version. On top of that, the 1.5-litre dCi engines offer excellent fuel economy and surprisingly peppy performance.
Nissan NV200
Although never a class leader, there are two reasons why the Nissan NV200 is worthy of consideration. Firstly, its tall and narrow monobox design gives it a uniquely shaped load bay and makes it especially popular with urban couriers, where cargo volume is often more important than payload. The second reason is the availability of the electric Nissan e-NV200 model since 2014, using the battery and motors from the Nissan Leaf, meaning it's by far the most affordable way into secondhand electric van ownership — and it's not a bad one either.
Mercedes Citan
The recently replaced version of the Mercedes Citan is a vehicle that makes a lot more sense secondhand than it ever did new, because as a used vehicle it doesn't come out at much of a premium over the Renault Kangoo on which it is based. When new, you would only have chosen a Mercedes Citan over a Kangoo for its badge as the price differential was unnecessarily substantial. Used examples are still more expensive than the Renault but only by a marginal amount, and for that you get an already good van but with an upmarket badge that will project a good image of your business.
What are the speed limits for small vans?
The majority of small vans are subject to the same speed limits as medium and large vans. That means 50mph on single carriageway roads, 60mph on dual carriageways and 70mph on motorways. However, there are some exceptions for vans derived from passenger cars, and older examples of the Vauxhall Combo, Citroen Berlingo and Renault Kangoo do fall into this category. It will say on the V5C registration document whether a vehicle is considered a commercial vehicle or a car-derived van, the latter of which are subject to the same speed limits as passenger cars.
How do I check if my small van is compliant with the ULEZ or low emission zones?
If you're travelling into the capital, then Transport for London has a website where you can check whether or not a potential van purchase is compliant with the ULEZ. There are also checkers for the rest of the UK's clean air zones, including Birmingham, Bristol, Bath, Glasgow and Aberdeen, where again you will be able to check online whether or not your van is liable for a charge.
Why are small vans more expensive to insure than small cars?
Depending on where you live, your driving experience and the type of van that you purchase, you may find your insurance is slightly more expensive on a van than it is for a car. Certainly, if you're using the van commercially, this will be the case as you are often likely to be carrying a valuable cargo. If you're using your van privately, this element will still be factored into your insurance premium, as it's a sad fact of life that vans are broken into more frequently than cars.
