Volkswagen Transporter 2025: Prices, specs and release date

• New Volkswagen Transporter van on sale from £30,995 (plus VAT)
• Three diesel and two fully electric power options available
• Panel van only for now — people carrier versions from spring 2025

It's felt like a long time coming but the T7-generation Volkswagen Transporter medium-sized van is finally available to order in the UK, with a starting price of £30,995. Expect to see it in VW showrooms from April 2025.

Developed alongside the Ford Transit Custom, which has already been on sale for two years, the VW Transporter shares much of its bodywork, interior and underpinnings, including diesel engines and fully electric drive systems.

Vying for customer attention will be tough for the Transporter — given its visual closeness with its Ford cousin it can no longer rely on the allure of the Volkswagen logo as a virtue signal for dependability.

It's not just the Transit Custom it'll have to contend with as there's an array of alternative talent already on sale including the Stellatis suite of models lead in the UK by the Vauxhall Vivaro as well as the ageing but worthy Mercedes Vito and Renault Trafic.

With Kia set to join the fray in addition of new-to-Britain Chinese vans also heading this way over the next couple of years, the new Volkswagen Transporter needs to be more than simply very good.

2025 Volkswagen Transporter prices and release date

Although a comprehensive range of models are available to order from the Volkswagen Transporter’s January 2025 launch, the line-up will expand further in the months ahead.

Least expensive Volkswagen Transporter is the six-speed manual, 110PS 2.0-litre TDI in Commerce trim with the short-wheelbase body. Its basic pre-tax recommended retail price (RRP) is £30,995, but with VAT and on-the road (OTR) charges it works out at £38,520.

If you fancy a long-wheelbase version of that model you’re looking at £31,845 ex-VAT RRP or £39,540 OTR.

Should you require more power, the cheapest 150PS TDI costs £33,995 (RRP) and £42,120 (OTR), while that engine with an eight-speed automatic transmission can be had from £35,195 (RRP) and £43,560 (OTR).

You can add 4Motion four-wheel drive to the 150PS TDI automatic with the least costly being £38,795 (RRP) and £47,880 (OTR).

Most powerful of the 2.0-litre TDI diesels is the 170PS version, again with the eight-speed auto, but front-wheel drive-only, it’s only available in range-topping Commerce Pro specification with prices from £39,495 (RRP) and £48,720 (OTR).

If you fancy a fully electric Volkswagen e-Transporter, then you’ve two power choices available. Prices for the 136PS version start at £41,965 (RRP) and £46,349 (OTR), while the 218PS edition will set you back from £47,855 (RRP) and £53,417 (OTR).

Plug-in hybrid (PHEV) versions of the Volkswagen Transporter with 232PS of combined power will follow in 2026.

For customers seeking business contract hire, the new Volkswagen Transporter is available from £399 per month, with the electric e-Transporter available from £459 per month.

All versions come with an enhanced warranty and service plan at no extra cost. The Volkswagen 5+ Promise comprises five services, two MOTs, a five-year warranty and five years’ roadside assistance.

From spring 2025 there will be a new Transporter Kombi and double-cab panel van versions, with seating for five or six passengers and a smaller cargo hold at the very back.

Joining the range at the same time will be a new Volkswagen Transporter Shuttle, with seats for up to nine people. This will be fully glazed and more expensive versions will be carpeted throughout.

Essentially, this is a replacement for the previous Volkswagen Caravelle — although it uses that name in various European markets, in the UK all will be Transporter Shuttles, the name previously reserved for the less plush versions.

From a legal standpoint the new Transporter Shuttle is regarded as a passenger car, with all the resultant differences in speed limits, VED and Benefit-in-Kind (BIK) taxation.

2025 Volkswagen Transporter styling, interior and technology

Although the latest Transporter has some familiar Volkswagen visual cues in terms of its headlight and grille shape, they give the impression of being added late in the design process even if they weren’t.

Because the Ford Transit Custom is already such a familiar sight on British roads, the VW version will immediately feel familiar thanks to being nigh-on identical from the windscreen backwards.

It's a similar story once you’re in the cabin as the Transporter shares the Transit Custom’s dashboard, which has more of a VW feel to it anyway.

All Transporters from the entry-level Commerce trim have a dual-screen display as standard with a 12.0-inch version displaying a configurable set of instruments while the multimedia touchscreen in the centre is a 13.0-inch panel.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity are also part of the package, as are air-con, keyless start, cruise control, rear parking sensors and LED lights front and rear.

Progress to Commerce Plus trim and you’ll gain body coloured bumpers, grille surround, exterior handles and door mirror housings, additional parking sensors at the front and a reversing camera.

Range-topping Commerce Pro versions also gain 16-inch alloy wheels, electrically folding door mirrors, an electrically heated windscreen, heated seats and climate control (standard on e-Transporter Commerce Plus models) and wireless phone charging.

Safety kit is also upgraded on Commerce Pro variants with adaptive cruise control, Lane Assist and Blind Spot Assist.

Euro NCAP has already rated the Volkswagen Transporter at Platinum as a result of its crash-testing and safety assessment.

2025 Volkswagen Transporter cargo capacity and loadspace dimensions

With any van its cargo-carrying credentials are of primary importance, so it’s not going to surprise you to learn that while the new Volkswagen Transporter’s statistics are impressive, they’re also Ford Transit Custom-like.

Whether you choose a diesel Transporter TDI or an electric e-Transporter, the key measurements remain identical in both short wheelbase (SWB) — with an overall length of 5050mm — and  5450mm long wheelbase (LWB) guises.

No new Volkswagen Transporter is taller than 1999mm meaning the majority of multi-storey car parks and domestic garages should be accessible. If you choose to add a roof rack a maximum of 170kg can be carried securely on top.

In SWB form, the VW Transporter can handle loads of 2602mm in length or 3050mm if they’re small enough to slot through the flap in the bulkhead to the passenger compartment. For LWB models those numbers increase to 3002mm and 3450mm, respectively.

Regardless of wheelbase the Transporter’s cargo bay width doesn’t vary — there’s 1392mm of clearance between the wheelarches at floor level and a distance of 1777mm between the widest parts of the bodywork.

Overall load volume for the Transporter SWB is 5.8 cubic metres, expanding to 6.8 cubic metres for the LWB version.

Maximum payloads depends much on the bodywork and power system combination chosen and there are lots of permutations, so check the specs carefully before placing an order.

Of the Transporter TDI diesels, overall payload ranges from 767kg to a maximum of 1280kg. Most combinations are in excess of 1000kg, though.

It’s far more clear cut when it comes to Volkswagen e-Transporter payloads, though. Short wheelbase versions are rated at 1009kg, while the long wheelbase variants are a little higher at 1088kg.

When it comes to towing capacities, the vast majority of diesel versions can haul 2800kg of braked trailer, although several versions with the 110PS TDI engine are capped at 2000kg. All e-Transporters have a towing capacity of 2300kg.

2025 Volkswagen Transporter engines, electric motors, performance and range

With so many power, transmission, length and trim level combinations available, we’re sticking to the headline figures for the latest-generation of Volkswagen Transporter here.

Gateway to the range is the 2.0 TDI 110PS 6-speed manual. Although performance figures for vans are largely academic, that’s sufficient for a 96mph top speed while the 0-62mph dash takes 16.9 seconds. On the WLTP Combined cycle fuel efficiency is rated as high as 40.9mpg while CO2 emissions are as low as 181g/km.

Choose the 150PS version and your top speed rises to 109mph, while the 0-62mph time is trimmed to 13.4 seconds. The best economy and emissions figures remain unchanged.

Go for the 8-speed automatic version of the 150PS model and the top speed remains unaltered but getting to 62mph from a standstill increases to 14.7 seconds. Efficiency also worsens to a high of 37.7mpg and CO2 emissions as low as 196g/km.

Opt for 4Motion four-wheel drive with your 150PS automatic transmission combo for unaltered performance stats but a sizeable knock when it comes to efficiency. The best economy claim is 34.0mpg, while CO2 emissions are only quoted as good as 218g/km.

If you’d rather have speed over traction, the front-wheel drive 170PS automatic is the Transporter for you. It also has a top speed of 109mph while the 0-62mph time is nibbled down to 14.0 seconds. Claimed economy matches the 150PS version with CO2 emissions slightly inferior at 198g/km.

Things are usefully less complex when it comes to the fully electric rear-wheel drive VW e-Transporter — regardless of whether you choose the 136PS or 218PS version, the quoted 0-62mph time is 8.6 seconds. Thanks to an electronic cap, the 136PS edition’s top speed is 70mph, increasing to 93mph for the 218PS.

Being electric vehicles, CO2 output is 0g/km, with efficiency varying between 2.7-2.8mi/kWh for the 136PS models and 2.6mi/kWh for the 218PS versions.

All e-Transporters are fitted with a 65kWh battery which is more than sufficient for city driving but won’t suit long-distance drivers.

On the WLTP Combined cycle this gives 136PS e-Transporters a driving range of 197-201 miles depending on wheelbase length and trim level, dropping to 190-192 miles for the 218PS models.