Best Vans for Couriers and Delivery Drivers to Buy in 2025
The sharp rise of online shopping in recent years has driven a high demand for vans to handle all those deliveries – but since packages come in all shapes and sizes, which vans are best for courier and delivery drivers?
The way we shop as a society has changed beyond recognition over the past 20 years. What was once a necessary trip to town for wares or getting food for the week at the supermarket or circling items in the Argos catalogue, is now just a couple of clicks away.
Indeed, whether it’s clothes, gadgets, groceries or books, you can get all manner of items delivered right to your door these days.
Such a wide variety of packages means getting the right van for your business crucial if you are to carry out your last-mile delivery duties effectively and efficiently.
With this in mind then, which are the best vans you can buy right now that truly deliver?
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What Makes a Good Van for a Delivery or Courier Driver?
Load Space – If your business specialises in high-volume deliveries or particularly big items, such as furniture, ensuring you have the load space to carry the cargo you need to deliver is crucial.
Review All Van Dimensions with our handy Load Sizing Guide
Payload – Depending on the needs of your business, there is a chance you’ll need a generous payload capacity to cope with packages and items you’ll be carrying on your delivery jobs. Medium vans generally provide the best combination of load space and payload without resorting to a more cumbersome large van.
Flexibility – Having a van big enough to swallow all those packages is one thing, but having lots of space is ultimately nothing if they aren’t easy to get to or you can’t maximise the room you have. As such, it is worth researching for vans that come with sliding doors on both sides to make it easy to grab what you need without having to re-arrange your cargo. Make sure the rear doors can open to at least 180-degrees (or even 270-degrees) to ensure you can get loads in quickly and easily.
Accessibility – As a delivery or courier driver, it is likely you’re going to be jumping in and out of your van several times over the course of a job. As such, you’ll feel the day-to-day benefits of a van that is easy to access – either by having grab handles or steps – or has keyless entry and go so you can leave your keys in your pocket.
Manoeuvrability – Delivery companies will be travelling to all manner of addresses to complete jobs, so the type of locations you regularly frequent could dictate what size van you get. A van that is easy to park up or has tech with surround sensors will allow you to travel and stop with confidence.
Economical – Keeping your running costs down is critical to ensuring your business operates cost-effectively and efficiently. This can be done with some careful consideration of your van or fleet, particularly if you are self-employed. Measures include considering an electric or plug-in hybrid van, which can make a big financial saving in the longer term.
Secure - It is no secret that the scourge of tool theft has been on the rise, so if your livelihood depends on your van, security should be taken seriously. Vansdirect offers lockable racking and security solutions to ensure your new van and its contents don’t fall into the wrong hands.
What Type of Van is Best for Delivery and Courier Drivers?
Small Van – A Small Van doesn’t have to mean a compromise on load-carrying ability – in fact, you might be surprised just how much you can fit into a small van. If that works for your business, then the upsides of convenient manoeuvrability, more economical running costs and being a doddle to park make this an ideal choice.
Medium Van – If the dimensions of a small van don’t quite work for you, upgrading to a larger medium van still opens you up to myriad quality options. Better still, medium vans offer wider opening apertures at the side and rear, as well superior height if you need it.
Large Van – Large vans offer the largest load space and potentially the most generous payload capacity depending on which engine and body size you opt for. If your cleaning business handles heavy-duty tasks, carries particularly weighty items or requires more space for a lot of equipment, a large van could be the way to go.
Best Vans for Couriers and Delivery Drivers in 2025
Ford Transit Courier
Body Styles: L1
Engines: 1.0-litre (Petrol), 1.5-litre (Diesel), 43kWh (Electric)
Load Space: 2.9cu m
Payload Capacity Range: 614-850kg
How do we know the Ford Transit Courier makes a perfect small van for delivery and courier services? Well, there is a clue right there in the name...
The Transit Courier largely exists in its own ‘sub-small van’ class, sitting below the Ford Transit Connect.
These compact dimensions – which at 4.3m are slightly smaller than the 4.4m Transit Connect – make the Transit Courier a doddle to drive around town, while its light weight makes it particularly frugal too.
Crucially, the Transit Courier is expertly packaged with special attention paid to maximising space within such small dimensions. Touches include slender wheelarch housings and squared-off rear end.
Throw in a quality, well-equipped interior, plus a choice of petrol, diesel and electric powertrains and the Transit Courier is an ideal urban van for manoeuvrability that doesn’t sacrifice too much space.
VERDICT: If manoeuvrability and easy-of-driving for those last-mile deliveries is top of your list, the Ford Transit Courier makes for a quality option that belies its size
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- 2025 Ford Transit Courier: Everything You Need To Know
See Ford Transit Courier Van Deals
Ford Transit Custom
Body Styles: L1/H1, L2/H1
Engines: 2.0-litre 110 (Diesel), 2.0-litre 136 (Diesel), 2.0-litre 150 (Diesel), 2.0-litre 170 (Diesel), 2.5-litre (Petrol/Plug-In Hybrid), 65kWh 136 (Electric), 65kWh 218 (Electric), 65kWh 285 (Electric)
Load Space: 5.8cu m (L1/H1), 6.8cu m (L2/H1)
Payload Capacity Range: 846-1407kg
Truthfully, there are multiple good reasons to choose a Ford Transit Custom for your courier or delivery business.
With 5.8 cubic metres of load space in L1 specification (or 6.8 cubic metres if you go for the L2) and sliding doors that offer a plus-one metre access point, the Transit Custom ranks among the most practical medium vans on sale.
Better still, it comes with myriad trims and engines – including turbodiesel, plug-in hybrid and electric – and is considered one of the most refined vans on the road.
For delivery and courier drivers specifically, however, there is also a feature called ‘Delivery Assist’ which – when activated – automatically shifts the van into park, switch on the hazard lights, close any open windows and lock the door once you leave the van.
When returning the driver can enter and start the vehicle without a key – where the windows will re-open and the hazard lights turn off automatically.
The point is, Delivery Assist is designed to shave those precious few seconds from each and every stop, allowing you to complete more deliveries.
VERDICT: The Ford Transit Custom takes some beating in the medium van class thanks to its spacious load bay, but Delivery Assist is just the icing on the cake.
- Ford Transit Custom vs. Vauxhall Vivaro: Which Is The Best Medium Van?
- 2025 Ford Transit Custom Trims and Engines Explained
See Ford Transit Custom Van Deals
Vauxhall Combo
Body Styles: Panel, XL (L1, L2)
Engines: 1.5-litre 100 (Diesel), 1.5-litre 130 (Diesel), 52kWh (Electric)
Load Space: 3.3cu m (Panel), 3.9cu m (XL)
Payload Capacity Range: 750-1050kg
If you need a small van for your courier or delivery business, it is hard to go wrong with any one of the Stellantis quartet comprising the Vauxhall Combo, Peugeot Partner, Citroen Berlingo and FIAT Doblo.
There isn’t much to split these four models so much will depend on which dealership you happen to closest to for aftersales services, but we’ve gone for the Combo because we happen to prefer the way it looks over the others.
The Combo’s strengths lie in its all-round ability versus other small vans – it has one of the biggest load bays (3.3cu m in standard trim, 3.9cu m in XL) and some models can even exceed a class-leading one-tonne of payload.
There are also some nifty tricks, including the large load through hatch which increases load space by a significant 0.5cu m, while XL models come with double sliding doors.
VERDICT: A small van on the outside but big where it counts, if a small van will suffice for your business, the Vauxhall Combo is arguably the class-leader.
- 2025 Vauxhall Combo: Everything You Need To Know
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Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
Body Styles: L2/H2, L3/H2, L4/H2
Engines: 2.0-litre 150 (Diesel), 2.0-litre 170 (Diesel), 2.0-litre 190 (Diesel), 81kWh (Electric), 113kWh (Diesel)
Load Space: 10.5cu m (L2/H2), 14.0cu m (L3/H2), 15.5cu m (L4/H2)
Payload Capacity Range: 495-2731kg
Whether it is DPD, Amazon, Yodel or Evri, there is a strong chance you’ll have received a delivery to your door via a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter.
Recognised the world over for its reliability, refinement and practicality – all with a touch class from that three-pointed star badge – the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter makes for the perfect delivery van.
Available in three body styles comprising three lengths with one height, the Sprinter offers between 10.5 cubic metres and 15.5 cubic metres of load space across its range.
Moreover, it comes with a wide variety of different engine – both diesel and electric – choices, plus gross vehicle weight that goes right up to 5000kg, allowing a payload upwards of 2731kg.
If you need even more space, the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is also a popular choice as a Luton Box van, which is ideal for delivering furniture and other heavy or bulky items.
VERDICT: A huge amount of choice to ensure you get the right van for your business, the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is also well-known for its reliability and refinement
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See Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Van Deals
Peugeot Boxer
Body Styles: L2/H1, L2/H2, L3/H2, L3/H3, L4/H2, L4/H3
Engines: 2.2-litre 140 (Diesel), 2.2-litre 180 (Diesel), 110kWh (Electric)
Load Space: 10.0cu m (L2/H1), 11.5cu m (L2/H2), 13.0cu m (L3/H2), 15.0cu m (L3/H3), 15.0cu m (L4/H2), 17.0cu m (L4/H3)
Payload Capacity Range: 710-2030kg
If it must be a large van, there is a lot of appeal in any one of the Stellantis (plus Toyota) options, which include the Peugeot Boxer, Vauxhall Movano, FIAT Ducato, Citroen Relay and Toyota Proace Max.
Here we’re highlighting the Boxer but all five models come with identical dimensions and performance figures, so you can focus on getting the best deal on the van you need for your delivery or courier business.
At the heart of the Boxer’s appeal is the wide range of body styles on offer – a total of six.
These start with the L2/H1 – which bridges the margin between medium and large van – and goes all the way up to the cavernous L4/H3.
This means you can get a large van with between 10.0 and 17.0 cubic metres of space, plus anything in between depending on whether you’d benefit from a longer load bay or a higher one.
VERDICT: Ubiquitous in their numbers and offering a wide variety of body styles, the Peugeot Boxer and co. back up their prolificness with lots of space and a refined drive
- 2025 Peugeot Boxer: Everything You Need To Know
MAN TGE / Volkswagen Crafter
Body Styles: Standard Length/Normal Roof (L2/H2), Standard/High (L2/H3), Long/High (L3/H3), Long/Super High (L3/H4), Extra Long/High (L4/H3), Extra Long/Super High (L4/H4)
Engines: 2.0-litre 140 (Diesel), 2.0-litre 163 (Diesel), 2.0-litre 177 (Diesel)
Load Space: 9.9cu m (L2/H2), 11.3cu m (L2/H3), 14.4cu m (L3/H3), 16.1cu m (L3/H4), 16.4cu m (L4/H3), 18.4cu m (L4/H4)
Payload Capacity Range: 926-2984kg
If it is outright space you’re after, the Volkswagen Crafter and MAN TGE are the undisputed class-leaders.
With six different body styles on offer, the largest of them – L4/H4, which is boastfully referred to as Extra Long Length/Super High Roof – can offer a vast 18.4 cubic metres of load space.
The two models can back this up with similarly impressive payload capacities, going all the way up to 2984kg with the flagship 2.0-litre turbodiesel 163 with rear-wheel drive (5000 GVW).
Better still, both models received a recent update which introduced more smart connectivity in a higher quality, stylish new interior.
While there is little to choose between the Crafter and TGE themselves, it’s worth noting that while Volkswagen has considerably more dealerships for aftersales care, MAN capitalises on its nationwide, round-the-clock HGV services to attend to your van if you run into trouble.
VERDICT: Offering a huge amount of practicality and a dash of quality with the latest update, the Volkswagen Crafter and MAN TGE blend form and function
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See Volkswagen Crafter Van Deals
