Best vans and pick-up trucks of 2025

With van awards season drawing to a close, it’s the perfect time for us to reflect on the best vans and pick-up trucks we’ve reviewed and driven through 2025. As stated, we’ve put this list together based on the vehicles we’ve had first-hand experience with this year… let’s get into it.

We’ll start with the main ‘awards’ for the best pick-up truck, and best small, medium, large, electric and car-derived vans we reviewed and drove in 2025.

If you want a small electric van that drives like a car, looks a bit like an SUV and somehow still swallows two Euro pallets, the Ford E-Transit Courier is a no-brainer. It’s designed to sit just below Ford’s Connect in size, but still pulls off most of the same tricks. Inside, it’s slightly more ‘no-frills’ when compared to Ford’s other vans. You get exposed seat rails and a simple plastic-and-fabric roof, but the brand’s now-trademark cluster of digital screens is present. Range-wise, 182 miles doesn’t top the charts, but in real-world use it’s absolutely perfect. It’s quiet, smooth, seriously practical for its footprint, and it’s a Ford van (nuff said).

Sharing a platform with the Ford Transit Custom doesn’t do the Volkswagen Transporter any harm at all. The Transit Custom is such a solid base that the Transporter would really have to try hard to be a bad van. It looks sharp thanks to some smart design touches, the diesel engines have plenty of punch, the load area is well thought-out, and the payload figures are properly competitive. Plus, VW has added just enough of its own flavour that it still feels like a Transporter. When you compare prices the entry-level Transporter actually sneaks in slightly cheaper than the equivalent Custom. Its biggest challenge? Persuading buyers to walk past the hugely popular Transit Custom… but it’s definitely up to the challenge.

The Proace Max EV is Toyota’s take on the big electric vans you see wearing Fiat, Citroen, Vauxhall or Peugeot badges. The nose has that Toyota look, but everything behind it will feel very familiar. The platform might be getting on a bit, but it’s still seriously capable. You get a massive load space, comfy cabin, and a spec sheet that’s a touch more generous than some of its Stellantis siblings. It’s a proper workhorse. Sure, the Ford E-Transit is also in the mix and absolutely worth a look, but it doesn’t give you Toyota’s 10-year warranty or such a well-equipped ‘one-and-done’ trim. Definitely something to mull over.

One day back in 2022, Kia decided being a great electric car manufacturer wasn’t enough and that it would try its hand at building a van. The result is the excellent PV5 Cargo, a fantastic overall commercial vehicle package! It even set a Guinness World Record for ‘the greatest distance travelled by a light-duty battery-powered electric van with maximum payload on a single charge’ by driving 430.85 miles before the battery ran out. A new van like this is a seismic reminder to established manufacturers that you should never rest on your laurels because new companies are always ready to come to market if they spot a gap.

The Toyota Land Cruiser Commercial is an SUV that’s been converted into a van: seats out, bulkhead in, load floor levelled. Most businesses don’t need something like this, but a few absolutely will. If you want the off-road muscle and on-road manners of an SUV, plus an enclosed load space instead of a pickup bed, this thing suddenly makes perfect sense. Toyota sweetens the deal with its superb 10-year warranty and a single, very well-equipped trim level. Its price puts the Land Cruiser Commercial in a neat middle spot: pricier than the KGM Rexton Commercial, similar money but more modern to drive than the Ineos Grenadier Commercial, and frankly a better all-round package than the Land Rover Defender Hard Top Commercial.

The partially-electric Ranger has finally arrived in the form of the Ford Ranger PHEV. Ford promised this plug-in hybrid wouldn’t feel like a watered-down version of the diesel truck and they’ve pulled it off. The PHEV drives a touch better than the diesel models, keeps all the towing and payload muscle you’d expect, and wraps it all in a seriously nice cabin. It’s a bit pricier than most diesel equivalents, but you’re getting plenty of truck and tech for that extra spend. We half expected the PHEV to feel like a stopgap on the way to a fully electric Ranger, but it actually feels more like the sweet spot of the range. If you’re after something that works as both a commercial vehicle and a personal daily… and you’re not scared of the BIK bill… this is the one to circle in red.

Finally, let’s take a look at some of the other vehicles we reviewed and drove that we feel deserve a mention.

The new Toyota Hilux isn’t just a facelift, it’s a full-on ninth-generation. And from 2026 it’ll come in BEV, hybrid, hydrogen fuel cell and traditional combustion flavours. The BEV we tested promises around 150 miles of range, a payload just over 700kg, and smart 4x4 capability. We tried a left-hand-drive prototype of the BEV, which gave us a solid glimpse of what UK buyers can expect. Range-wise it’s not the highest by a stretch, but the competition can’t match Toyota’s 10-year warranty, legendary reliability, Hilux toughness, or the new generation’s genuinely clever off-road tech. UK sales kick off in the second quarter of 2026, and we’d say get your test drive booked the moment order books open.

With new tax rules for double-cab pickups, a crowded field of big-name rivals, and a wave of car-derived vans launching every way you look, a brand-new diesel double-cab pickup arriving in the UK was not on anyone’s 2025 bingo card. And yet, here comes GWM with the POER300 (it’s pronounced “POWER”)! With a competitive price, the POER300 is taking aim squarely at value-focused rivals like the KGM Musso. Its priority audience is farmers and agricultural buyers, with small businesses and fleets in the supporting cast. And without giving too much away… based on the morning we spent testing it, its capability definitely feels a notch above what you typically get at the sharp end of the budget-friendly pickup market.

The Ineos Grenadier Commercial is cool. Built to plug the hole left by the old-school Land Rover Defender, it delivers serious toughness, plenty of power, great 4x4 off-road ability, a surprisingly practical cargo area, and an interior that feels like it was lifted straight out of a military aircraft. Sure, prices are high but in line with the other heavy-duty utility contenders like the Toyota Land Cruiser Commercial and the Defender Hard Top. And while its on-road manners aren’t exactly silky, it’s incredibly easy to recommend if you need a proper workhorse that has to handle real off-road terrain. Honestly, the Grenadier Commercial feels like it has the potential to carve out a legacy of its own, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Defenders of old in the world it’s clearly built for. We had a great time with it… as our review showed!

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