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Best Small Vans To Lease

Small vans, often referred to as ‘light’ vans, are the smallest van type you’ll see on UK roads today (excluding car-derived vans). Auto Trader’s Tom Roberts takes a look at the best small vans available to lease right now.

Tom Roberts

Words by: Tom Roberts

Published on 6 June 2024 | 0 min read

Alongside slightly larger medium vans, small vans form the majority of commercial vehicle traffic on the roads due to their car-like drivability and impressive payload capacities - you’ll see that a wide range of trades make use of them. The small van market offers a lot of choice, which is why I’ve put together this list of the top 3 small vans available to lease today to help you spot the best of the bunch.

Why Choose A Small Van?

Small vans are ideal for tradespeople that transport compact, dense materials and tools, such as electricians, decorators, heating engineers, plumbers and cleaners. Before the launch of Stellantis small vans (Vauxhall Combo, Fiat Doblo, Citroen Berlingo and Peugeot Partner), these vehicles were easily identifiable by their car-like appearance and smaller exterior dimensions when compared to typical medium vans like the popular Ford Transit Custom. Small vans are generally easier to drive and park, more economical to run, and simpler to secure at home. Their compact loading bays reduce the movement of cargo, making it easier to secure loads with bungee cords and straps.
Today, most small vans resemble scaled-down medium vans and boast payload capacities of 600-850kg, with some even surpassing medium vans in terms of weight-carrying capacity. The Stellantis small vans have significantly transformed the market, but there’s still a demand for small car-like vans, a good example of which is the excellent new versions of the Renault Kangoo and Ford Transit Courier. Mostly available in electric and diesel versions, these modern vans are equipped with advanced technology, are highly durable, practical, powerful, and efficient, outperforming their predecessors in pretty much every way.

Why Lease A Small Van?

Leasing a new small van offers numerous advantages, particularly if you need to transport dense, compact loads and don’t want to break the bank while doing so. If you're considering a new small van as your work vehicle, check out what I think are some of the best small vans available to lease on the market today.
You can browse our lease deals on vans of all sizes on our van leasing page - small, medium, large and even pickup trucks - we've got it all!

Vauxhall Combo

The latest version of the Vauxhall Combo Cargo is practically unrecognisable from the ones that preceded it, and it is all the better for it. It shares much of its kit and tech with rivals (fellow family members) at Citroen, Fiat and Peugeot and is an excellent small van. Quirks with the trim offering are about the only major criticisms you can throw at the Combo, as it is otherwise an excellent all-round van capable of carrying up to 1020kg in the back. Even though it shares a lot of its DNA with the other Stellantis small vans, it is highly unlikely that anyone will be disappointed with the Combo once they have chosen the version they want and it has slotted into working life. As with the other Stellantis vans, a new version is just about to launch, which should make lease deals on the current model worth checking out.
You can read a full review of the Vauxhall Combo in our reviews section and check out the lease deals currently available on them in our van leasing section.
Vauxhall Combo Small Van
Vauxhall Combo Small Van

Ford Transit Courier

The Ford Transit Courier is a small van that’s hard to fault. Excelling in many aspects, it’s going to make things a little uncomfortable for rival manufacturers who have been (for a while) pretty much untroubled by Ford in this sector. I really like it. For those in the market for a small new van, there are plenty of reasons to consider the Courier. It looks great and is now a competent load carrier and is excellent to drive. It’s got a fantastic safety rating and should prove economical to run. But, at present (although with Ford having an arrangement with Volkswagen this could change) the Courier is a van on its own, sharing nothing with any other van manufacturer. There are not that many vans that you can say that about these days.
You can read a full review of the latest Ford Transit Courier in our reviews section and check out the lease deals currently available on them in our van leasing section.
Ford Transit Courier Small Van
Ford Transit Courier Small Van

Citroen Berlingo

You wait a while for a new small van and suddenly three came along at once back in 2019. The Citroen Berlingo, Peugeot Partner and Vauxhall Combo are all essentially the same van, having been developed together. There are small differences between them, but it is arguable the Citroen is the pick of the three. The Berlingo’s closest rivals in terms of technology, driveability and modernity are its own siblings – the Peugeot Partner and Vauxhall Combo. There are valid reasons to choose either of those other two, but the Berlingo will arguably be the pick of the three for many, thanks to its simple cabin and well-packaged options. It is an excellent all-round van. There is a new version on the horizon, which should make the lease deals on the current version available right now hard to miss.
You can read a full review of the Citroen Berlingo in our reviews section and check out the lease deals currently available on them in our van leasing section.
Citroen Berlingo Small Van
Citroen Berlingo Small Van

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