Toyota Proace Sport Crew Cab (2025 - ) review

The ability to carry six people in a van on two rows of seats is great, and undoubtedly this vehicle’s big practicality boost – in the front you get a driver’s seat and passenger bench seat, and in the back you get three full-size seats. While the standard Proace Crew Cab is offered in two lengths, the Sport version is only available in the shortest length wheelbase or ‘L1’. The second row of seats reduces the load volume from the panel van version’s 5.3 cubic metres to just 3.2 cubic metres, although a bit of that room is robbed from the space under the rear row of seats, which is nice. The vehicle is capable of carrying just over 940 kg of extra weight when the extra passengers are seated (their weight eats into the 1200 kg gross payload). The main cargo space is also only accessible via the big tailgate at the back, the side doors opening onto the second row of seats mounted onto the full-height bulkhead. Cargo can be tied down using the four lashing points, but with only 3.2 cubic metres of volume to play with your Tetris skills will need to be sharp. In L1 configuration, the van is just under four metres long and around 1.9 metres high making it easy to fit into parking spaces and under the height restriction barriers. In pure practicality terms, it’s absolutely fine as a crew carrier with a few sporty touches, but you’d be forgiven for not wanting to risk scratching up the 17-inch black gloss alloys or body-coloured paintwork by driving it to worksites.

There’s little to separate this van’s interior from any of the other vans it shares a platform with – we recently reviewed the Peugeot Expert Sport and Citroen Dispatch crew vans if you want to see the similarities, although there’s no leather like in the Peugeot’s highest trim level. Such is the state of the commercial vehicle market these days that it’s become less of a busman’s holiday jumping into a van that feels familiar. However, Toyota has added some touches inside to make it feel a little more distinct, and we don’t just mean the Toyota badges or rebranded infotainment operating system. The steering wheel is flat-bottomed, the drive selector is a rocker switch, and there’s some glossy black plastic and silver trim. The infotiainment screen in the centre of the dash is clear and responsive working well with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and the driver’s digital display behind the steering wheel is the best we’ve seen in the vans that share this platform. Beyond that, storage is fine in the doors and various cubbies, and durable fabrics and plastics are the running theme for interior design. The bench seat in the front row presents the only real hurdle, with the middle seat’s leg space butted up against the transmission tunnel’s console cover. There may be some awkward knee fondling and leg adjustments, just so you’re aware.

Considering the Sport version is powered by a 2.0-litre diesel engine mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox, expect a fuel consumption figure of somewhere around 32-36 mpg if you drive right. Also, this is a slightly more expensive version of the Proace, so it’s worth checking out the costs to pick it up on finance or a good lease deal.

Platform sharing with multiple other vans immediately puts any LCV in a good situation for replacement parts. The vehicle is also covered by a three-year/60,000-mile warranty, extendable for up to 10 years/100,000 miles. Before the 2024 upgrades there were reported issues with AdBlue tanks and the timing chains on older diesel, but these don’t seem to be affecting the latest Proace vans.

The van performs its duties well, being an able people and cargo carrier. Getting from A to B is easy thanks to good power from the engine and management of that output from the automatic gearbox.

The automatic gearbox is very good, switching nicely between gears as your driving demands. It’s the standout feature on this van, in our opinion. You can get away from traffic lights in good order and catch breaks in traffic nicely. There’s little rocking into corners and the suspension is firm even when unloaded. We experienced no issues in town driving where the automatic gearbox makes driving effortless, and on motorways we enjoyed the power to get up to speed and overtake when required. These vans continue to be a pleasure to drive.

The current Proace has been awarded a gold (four-star) NCAP safety rating meaning it provides a good level of safety equipment, in line with the other vans it shares a platform with. Safety system highlights include a pre-collision system, lane departure alerts, road sign recognition, driver attention alerts (that aren’t annoying), and the useful eCall system. Higher-spec models and packs add features like blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control alongside other driver assistance systems. The only thing we missed at the top trim level was a reversing camera, the sensors are fine but it would be so useful if you had one while driving with a full load of people and cargo.

At the top trim level you get everything you’d expect from a crew cab van. Plenty of tech and specification, good seat comfort and connectivity. Check through the other sections of the review for the highlights.

You’ll buy the Toyota Proace Sport Crew Cab because you’re looking for a double cab light commercial vehicle that comes with the winning combination of tax breaks, good looks, decent capabilities, and generous-enough tech and spec levels. It would be remiss not to mention that if you’re a pick-up truck driver looking to swap into a more tax-friendly working vehicle a vehicle like this is a smart choice. So, that’s the play: decide if this is worth the extra cash over any of the Stellantis crew cab vans it platform shares with, or if it’s a better long-term financial obligation than a double cab pick-up truck.