Best Of
5 Best vans under £10,000
Here we explore what are the five best vans you can buy for £10,000 or just under...
Words by: Auto Trader
Published on 25 June 2021 | 0 min read
Having £10,000 gives you plenty to choose from when it comes to picking a used van. Traditionally, vans don’t hold onto their value as well as cars, partly due to the harder lives they lead and the relatively less well-equipped models that big companies go for.
This means that you can pick up a bargain once a van gets resold after its first job. There are also other factors – many have been run by a company, which will have been fastidious about maintenance and making sure that it is serviced on time. As a result, more miles on the odometer need not be as off putting. The privately-owned vans, or those run by smaller companies, are just as appealing though, They might well have more equipment – things like air conditioning, body coloured bumpers, alloy wheels or satellite navigation – and are more likely to be in a more interesting colour, so stand a better chance of making your business stand out. They might well have done fewer miles too.
This means that you can pick up a bargain once a van gets resold after its first job. There are also other factors – many have been run by a company, which will have been fastidious about maintenance and making sure that it is serviced on time. As a result, more miles on the odometer need not be as off putting. The privately-owned vans, or those run by smaller companies, are just as appealing though, They might well have more equipment – things like air conditioning, body coloured bumpers, alloy wheels or satellite navigation – and are more likely to be in a more interesting colour, so stand a better chance of making your business stand out. They might well have done fewer miles too.
1. Ford Transit Custom – The best seller
The Ford Transit Custom has taken residency at the top of the sales chart for such a long time that it is more noteworthy when it isn’t the most popular new van in the UK in a particular month.
The knock-on benefit of this is that there are simply loads of used models around and buyers can pick from a wide array of different versions with everything from basic models with black bumpers and no air conditioning all the way up to special editions with loads of extra equipment. With that many to choose from you can afford to be picky and get what you need – if something doesn’t feel right then there will be another available. Find a Ford Transit Custom under £10,000 here.
The knock-on benefit of this is that there are simply loads of used models around and buyers can pick from a wide array of different versions with everything from basic models with black bumpers and no air conditioning all the way up to special editions with loads of extra equipment. With that many to choose from you can afford to be picky and get what you need – if something doesn’t feel right then there will be another available. Find a Ford Transit Custom under £10,000 here.
2. Renault Trafic/Vauxhall Vivaro – The solid all rounder
which means they are fundamentally the same van. However, the Renault and the Vauxhall nudge ahead of the other two as the marginally better used buy for a couple of reasons. The third generation of Trafic and Vivaro was launched in 2014 but the Talento and NV300 didn’t arrive until 2016 so there are far fewer examples to choose from, particularly at this part of the market.
The Vivaro is much more plentiful, but it ceased to share a platform and design with the Trafic in 2018, which means that the availability of this model is limited. To get below the £10,000 mark you are looking at a vehicle that is around five to seven years old, depending on the level of kit or the body style you want – higher trims, lower mileage and crew cabs. Go for a post-2014 model as that is when the third generation was launched. The higher-powered engines are the pick, as the entry level models are not quite as strong in terms of pulling power and pace. Find a Renault Trafic under £10,000 here or a Vauxhall Vivaro under £10,000 here.
The Vivaro is much more plentiful, but it ceased to share a platform and design with the Trafic in 2018, which means that the availability of this model is limited. To get below the £10,000 mark you are looking at a vehicle that is around five to seven years old, depending on the level of kit or the body style you want – higher trims, lower mileage and crew cabs. Go for a post-2014 model as that is when the third generation was launched. The higher-powered engines are the pick, as the entry level models are not quite as strong in terms of pulling power and pace. Find a Renault Trafic under £10,000 here or a Vauxhall Vivaro under £10,000 here.
3. Volkswagen Caddy – The well-equipped car-like one
The Volkswagen Caddy was one of the first vans to bring a touch of the car-like driving experience to the commercial vehicle world. Others have moved the game on and raised the bar since, but the Caddy still provides a reassuring cabin and set of on-road manners for those that don’t have as much experience of driving vans. It has been popular with smaller businesses and sole traders, which means that there are plenty of higher-spec versions with more colours to choose from than the sometimes ubiquitous white. However, if you aren’t as fussed by toys then the Caddy has also featured on a couple of large corporate deals in its time, so there might well be some ex fleet models kicking around.
The relative age of the Caddy – it was produced from 2003 through to 2020, albeit with a few notable updates in that time – means that there are plenty to choose from. Even models sold after the most recent update – which happened in 2015 – are available in the sub-£10,000 category, so these are the ones to go for if you can. The update brought about changes to the front end looks mainly, with some tweaks to the interior too. However, there may well also be a fair few of the high-equipped pre-facelift models around at a similar price. If you don’t mind the slightly older appearance then you might score a bit more in the way of toys and slightly lower miles. Find a Volkswagen Caddy under £10,000 here.
The relative age of the Caddy – it was produced from 2003 through to 2020, albeit with a few notable updates in that time – means that there are plenty to choose from. Even models sold after the most recent update – which happened in 2015 – are available in the sub-£10,000 category, so these are the ones to go for if you can. The update brought about changes to the front end looks mainly, with some tweaks to the interior too. However, there may well also be a fair few of the high-equipped pre-facelift models around at a similar price. If you don’t mind the slightly older appearance then you might score a bit more in the way of toys and slightly lower miles. Find a Volkswagen Caddy under £10,000 here.
4.Renault Kangoo Z.E. – The electric one
There aren’t many electric vans available in the second-hand market full stop, and even fewer in the sub-£10,000 bracket. The Nissan eNV200 and the Renault Kangoo Z.E. are the two most likely models to appear at that more affordable end of the used market, but there are marginally more Kangoos that have made it under the £10k mark.
The caveat to this, and the big thing that needs checking, is that early electric vans were offered with the battery on a separate lease. This meant that the first buyer got a big saving on the purchase price, which worked out in their favour if they were planning on keeping it for only a few years. However, the lease passes on to subsequent owners, too, so you might be liable for a monthly cost – something in the region of around £35 a month plus VAT. Oddly this cost is the same regardless of how old the battery is and there is no fixed end date so in theory you could just keep paying for it. The good news is that Renault will let you buy the battery, even on a used vehicle, so that is worth factoring into the purchase price. Find a Renault Kangoo Z.E under £10,000 here.
The caveat to this, and the big thing that needs checking, is that early electric vans were offered with the battery on a separate lease. This meant that the first buyer got a big saving on the purchase price, which worked out in their favour if they were planning on keeping it for only a few years. However, the lease passes on to subsequent owners, too, so you might be liable for a monthly cost – something in the region of around £35 a month plus VAT. Oddly this cost is the same regardless of how old the battery is and there is no fixed end date so in theory you could just keep paying for it. The good news is that Renault will let you buy the battery, even on a used vehicle, so that is worth factoring into the purchase price. Find a Renault Kangoo Z.E under £10,000 here.
5. Citroen Relay/Peugeot Boxer – The big bargains
Strictly speaking the Relay and Boxer are not the best large vans out there – the Ford Transit, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Volkswagen Crafter are all newer and better to drive in various ways.
However, the big Citroen and Peugeot’s relative age is on their side in some sense – they make good value as a used prospect and there aren’t as many updates to watch out for when trawling the classifieds. If you don’t mind a higher mileage version then you can pick up a relatively basic model that is only around four years old. The fact that these vans have covered a fair distance shouldn’t mean they have been neglected, though – if they have been owned by a company then they might well have been religiously serviced and maintained in the way that a better equipped privately owned van might not have been. The other element in the Relay and Boxer’s favour is their size – they boast impressive payload ratings and there is a good amount of room in the back. Pick the right model and it could be a serious workhorse. Find a Citroen Relay under £10,000 here or a Peugeot Boxer here
However, the big Citroen and Peugeot’s relative age is on their side in some sense – they make good value as a used prospect and there aren’t as many updates to watch out for when trawling the classifieds. If you don’t mind a higher mileage version then you can pick up a relatively basic model that is only around four years old. The fact that these vans have covered a fair distance shouldn’t mean they have been neglected, though – if they have been owned by a company then they might well have been religiously serviced and maintained in the way that a better equipped privately owned van might not have been. The other element in the Relay and Boxer’s favour is their size – they boast impressive payload ratings and there is a good amount of room in the back. Pick the right model and it could be a serious workhorse. Find a Citroen Relay under £10,000 here or a Peugeot Boxer here
