Best Of
Top 5 vans under £10,000
The importance of a delivery van has rocketed in recent months, particularly as we have all been working at home more and more. Whether you’re new to the market or here to find your next van, we’ve found five great vans to help you out here…
Words by: Tom Webster
Published on 16 July 2020 | 0 min read
Small businesses that have never previously offered a delivery service have entered the fray and started taking their produce to the people. Cafes, breweries, restaurants and many more have been delivering their wares and may have now decided to do so going forward.
Rather than committing to a brand-new van, though, these small businesses have plenty of choice on the used market. These are the top five vans for less than £10,000 on Auto Trader.
Rather than committing to a brand-new van, though, these small businesses have plenty of choice on the used market. These are the top five vans for less than £10,000 on Auto Trader.
The (nearly) new one - Vauxhall Combo 1.6 L1H1 2300
The Vauxhall Combo is one of the newest vans you can buy and it brought some excellent new features to the small van class. This includes a smart and car-like cabin with brilliant visibility and a fantastic driving position. The loading bay is a triumph too, with a clear and even shape and payloads up to 1000kg.
A quirk of its launch timing means that some of the early models are already dipping below the £10,000 mark. The 1.6-litre diesel engines in these models were only offered for a few months from the van’s launch up until the introduction of new Euro emissions requirements, at which point the range moved to 1.5-litre units across the board. In real-life use, though, the older 1.6 engines are largely indistinguishable from the newer ones. They might be a little noisier and they might not be quite as powerful as some of the new engines, but the Combo’s positives far outweigh these few negatives. Besides, when you are talking about paying less than £10,000 you are getting a lot of van for your money. Find a nearly new Vauxhall Combo here.
A quirk of its launch timing means that some of the early models are already dipping below the £10,000 mark. The 1.6-litre diesel engines in these models were only offered for a few months from the van’s launch up until the introduction of new Euro emissions requirements, at which point the range moved to 1.5-litre units across the board. In real-life use, though, the older 1.6 engines are largely indistinguishable from the newer ones. They might be a little noisier and they might not be quite as powerful as some of the new engines, but the Combo’s positives far outweigh these few negatives. Besides, when you are talking about paying less than £10,000 you are getting a lot of van for your money. Find a nearly new Vauxhall Combo here.
The electric one - Nissan e-NV200
There aren’t many electric vans available for less than £10,000 but the number will only grow in the coming months as battery-powered commercial vehicles age and get more affordable.
The earliest electric vans to market were the Renault Kangoo Z.E. and the Nissan e-NV200 but the Peugeot Partner and Citroen Berlingo Electric were not far behind. At this price there are a few things to bear in mind when going electric. The early models didn’t have the best of official ranges, but they will still provide affordable transport if you have a regular daily route where you know you will never exceed a set mileage and have access to charging, either overnight or during the day. Because of the range the chances are that many of the vehicles you will be looking at will have lower mileages so should be well maintained and in good condition. The e-NV200 is a narrow and easy to drive van with a tall loading bay. It’s only available in one size so all electric versions will have the same loading bay as the diesel models. Find a Nissan e-NV200 here.
The earliest electric vans to market were the Renault Kangoo Z.E. and the Nissan e-NV200 but the Peugeot Partner and Citroen Berlingo Electric were not far behind. At this price there are a few things to bear in mind when going electric. The early models didn’t have the best of official ranges, but they will still provide affordable transport if you have a regular daily route where you know you will never exceed a set mileage and have access to charging, either overnight or during the day. Because of the range the chances are that many of the vehicles you will be looking at will have lower mileages so should be well maintained and in good condition. The e-NV200 is a narrow and easy to drive van with a tall loading bay. It’s only available in one size so all electric versions will have the same loading bay as the diesel models. Find a Nissan e-NV200 here.
The car-like one - Ford Transit Courier
The Ford Transit Courier has long been a favourite of buyers of all sorts, from big companies to small businesses and sole traders. This is thanks to its smart looks, car-like cabin and its easy-driving nature.
This popularity means that there are plenty of Transit Couriers available on the used market and you can pick up a one-year-old model for just under £10,000 with not many miles on the clock. In the case of this Limited model this means at least £5,000 saved off the starting list price – a third off in just a year. Limited is the trim to go for if you are a sole trader looking for a smart van. It comes with body-coloured bumpers and door mirrors, Bluetooth, alloy wheels, DAB digital radio and manual air conditioning. Find a Ford Transit Courier here.
This popularity means that there are plenty of Transit Couriers available on the used market and you can pick up a one-year-old model for just under £10,000 with not many miles on the clock. In the case of this Limited model this means at least £5,000 saved off the starting list price – a third off in just a year. Limited is the trim to go for if you are a sole trader looking for a smart van. It comes with body-coloured bumpers and door mirrors, Bluetooth, alloy wheels, DAB digital radio and manual air conditioning. Find a Ford Transit Courier here.
The popular Brit-built medium van - Vauxhall Vivaro
The previous generation of Vauxhall Vivaro was only on sale for a relatively short period of time in van terms, being on sale from 2014 to 2019. It has since been replaced by a version that shares its fundamental parts with the Citroen Dispatch and Peugeot Expert. However, the previous model was an excellent van and makes for a great used buy.
There are models that are available for under £10,000 but the pick of them is the Biturbo diesel while the Sportive model brings a little more in the way of kit than the base version. This makes it smarter and more practical, with the load-through hatch that lets you slot longer items into the cabin a particularly welcome feature. The sub-£10,000 bracket has some variety in it, with some of the newer models in there sporting fairly high mileage, but there are some gems around and bargains to be had.
Find a Vauxhall Vivaros here.
There are models that are available for under £10,000 but the pick of them is the Biturbo diesel while the Sportive model brings a little more in the way of kit than the base version. This makes it smarter and more practical, with the load-through hatch that lets you slot longer items into the cabin a particularly welcome feature. The sub-£10,000 bracket has some variety in it, with some of the newer models in there sporting fairly high mileage, but there are some gems around and bargains to be had.
Find a Vauxhall Vivaros here.
The nation’s favourite - Ford Transit Custom
It is a real rarity for anything other than the Ford Transit Custom to top the best-selling charts.
One knock-on effect of this is the number of Transit Customs that you can pick up on the used market. This means that you can pick and choose from a wide range of vehicles and your £10,000 budget gets you into something that is around three years old. Mileage and spec will be the differing factors between different vehicles and it stands to reason that some will have clocked up some serious miles in that time. Because of the Transit Custom’s popularity with fleets, the chances are that you will come across more white models than anything else, but that means it is a blank canvas to put your branding on. Find a Ford Transit Custom here.
One knock-on effect of this is the number of Transit Customs that you can pick up on the used market. This means that you can pick and choose from a wide range of vehicles and your £10,000 budget gets you into something that is around three years old. Mileage and spec will be the differing factors between different vehicles and it stands to reason that some will have clocked up some serious miles in that time. Because of the Transit Custom’s popularity with fleets, the chances are that you will come across more white models than anything else, but that means it is a blank canvas to put your branding on. Find a Ford Transit Custom here.
