7 of the best vans for tradespeople

Seven of the best vans for tradespeople

Small, large, tipper – there’s a van out there to suit every business.

When it comes to van leasing, what you really need is an affordable van that’ll grow with your company’s needs throughout the next few years.

But with so many vans to pick from, it can be tricky making that choice.

Whether you’re a one-man band or work as part of a bigger team, you’ll need a van that works for your trade. Whether that’s a tipper if you’re a landscaper, or a large van with the space for long planks and plenty of tools if you’re a carpenter, there is a van out there for you. 

Whether you’re a florist, plumber or builder, we’ve rounded up a selection of vans to suit all manner of tradespeople.

Small vans

Volkswagen Caddy Cargo

Arguably one of the best – if not the best – small van on the market, the Volkswagen Caddy Cargo is ideal if you need to cart tools from job to job, but you’re not regularly carrying bulky equipment or materials.

It’s loosely based on the VW Golf, but with a van body instead of a car one, which means its comfortable to drive and handles extremely well.

It makes for an excellent day-to-day van if you need a little more capacity than you’d get in the boot of an SUV. The interior is hardy too, and able to withstand plenty of knocks and bashes if you’re loading bits and bobs in and out.

And with its connection to the Golf comes plenty of VW’s passenger car tech, including a central infotainment system with all the usual trappings, and VW’s eSIM, which enables Wi-Fi and emergency calling, as well as the We Connect app for vehicle reports, breakdown calls and service planning.

For a functional and flexible small van, you’d be hard-pushed to find a better choice than the Volkswagen Caddy Cargo.

Medium vans

Citroen Dispatch

The perfect choice for builders and decorators, the Citroen Dispatch is an excellent medium-sized van with all the flexible options you could need to build the perfect vehicle for your business.

There’s only one roof height on offer, which means that all Dispatch’s should fit into a standard multi-storey car park, but with three body lengths and two wheelbases to pick from, you’ll be able to customise your Dispatch lease to suit you.

In terms of capacity, payload ranges from 960kg to 1,469kg, while the all-electric e-Dispatch can carry up to one tonne – making it an excellent option if you’re looking to save money on running costs and hit your business’s sustainability goals.

The Dispatch is carlike to drive, thanks to being based on the same platform as the Peugeot 308 and Citroen C4 SpaceTourer, and is crammed with all the tech you could ever need, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, cruise control, and a good amount of safety kit as standard.

Opt for the mid-range Enterprise model to get the best bang for your buck, and you’ll have a van that’ll be a great fit for your business for years to come.

Renault Trafic

If you’re looking to maximise cargo space without making the jump up to a large van, the Renault Trafic is the one for you.

It’s got one of the best-shaped cargo areas in the class, with between 5.3m3 and 8.6m3 of space on offer, depending on the model. There are two wheelbases to pick from, which will come down to the length of the van you need, as well as a load-through bulkhead included on Business+ models and above.

This allows you to open a flap in the bulkhead and one under the passenger seat, increasing the length to 3.75m – perfect if you occasionally need to cart about a long plank or pipe.

Renault have also worked hard at making the Trafic the ideal workhorse. Not only is an internal ceiling rack an option, but you can also pick from Renault’s range of Ready4Work internal racking and storage solutions.

Alongside this, Business+ trim adds Renault’s Mobile Office, essentially turning the middle passenger seat into an on-the-go desk so you can get all your admin done without needing to go back to the office.

Large vans

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter

If what you need cavernous amounts of space, you’ll want to go for the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter.

The ideal choice for tradespeople who often cart about bulky or long items, this massive van is a go-to for a reason.

There is a phenomenal choice of layouts available, including a panel van with four body lengths and three roof heights, as well as crew cap, tipper, dropside and Luton variants. If you need something a little more specialised, Mercedes also offer the Sprinter as a chassis cab to allow for a variety of conversions to be added.

It’s the definition of ‘if you can dream it, you can have it.’

If what you need from your van is massive amounts of space and excellent flexibility, a Sprinter lease is perfect. Opt for one that’ll work for your business as it grows, and you’ll be set for the duration of the lease term without having to worry that your van won’t be able to keep up.

Ford Transit

The van we all think of when someone says the word ‘van’, there’s not much the Ford Transit can’t do.

Though there are a number of models included in the Transit family now, the OG Ford Transit is the one you’ll want to lease if you need space, space – and more space. 

It’s ideal for plumbers and carpenters who need to cart around long planks and pipes, but also works for anyone needing to carry big, bulky items that’ll quickly fill up a smaller van and not leave room for much more.

The Transit is also a versatile van, with Ford claiming that there are over 450 different ways to order your Transit, so you can rest easy knowing you can customise your lease to suit your business’s needs.

Ford have also crammed it with some of the most impressive safety tech on the market, including Side Wind Stabilisation, Curve Control tech, Load Adaptive Roll Stability Control, Trailer Sway Control, and more.

For the best of all worlds, the Ford Transit is the perfect van.

Pick-ups and tippers

Ford Ranger

If you want a commercial vehicle that can double as a family car, but you’re not wanting to drive a van around all week and all weekend, a pick-up could be the perfect compromise.

Though not so ideal if you need length over anything else – it doesn’t have the same capacity as a large van or the useful load through bulkhead often found in medium ones – the Ford Ranger’s max payload capacity of 1,207kg makes it perfect for anyone who just needs to carry around the tools of their trade and not so much the bigger items.

The tailgate even doubles as a workbench with built-in holes for clamps, so even if you’re on the road away from your usual place of work you can still get on with projects.

The Ford Ranger’s rugged looks also make it an aesthetically pleasing option, if that’s important to you, and the rear bench included on the Double Cab models is comfortable enough even for three adults.

There are also cup holders, air vents and USB sockets to make life more pleasing for those relegated to the back seats.

It’s no SUV, but it’s still pretty good.

Volkswagen Crafter Tipper

Many vans come in a tipper variant, but the Volkswagen Crafter Tipper is a particularly good one.

The Crafter is an excellent van in panel van guise anyway, but if you’re a builder or a gardener, a tipper van offers you extra flexibility when it comes to carrying more awkward materials like sand, plasterboard or stone. 

The tipper model only comes in one wheelbase length – the medium one – but there are single and double cab variants to choose from, based on how many people you need to fit on board.

Like all VW vans, it’s also very good when you step into the cab.

It shares many similarities with the passenger car range, and even the touchscreen has stolen the display from the Golf. The electromechanical steering also means that VW have been able to cram it with plenty of safety kit.

It’s not only extremely versatile, but also extremely safe.

An excellent option all round if you’re needing the flexibility of the tipper to fit your business’ needs.