Citroen Relay vs Volkswagen Crafter: Which large van is right for you?

Citroen Relay versus Volkswagen Crafter – which large van should you lease?

Sometimes, you just can’t beat the carrying capacity of a big shed on wheels.

With the medium van being the Goldilocks of the van world, the large van can often get shoved to the side in favour of its popular cousin.

But if you’re often carting about huge amounts of cargo, or you just need the additional space, then a large van lease will be exactly what you need. Though they can be a little trickier to get used to driving, they’re unbeatable in terms of practicality and versatility.

It can be tricky though to narrow down just which lease van is going to be right for you, and fit both your budget and your business needs.

We’ve compared two of the best (and most affordable) large vans on the market, to try and make that tricky decision a little easier. Whether it’s driver comfort you need, or impressive capacity, both the Citroen Relay and the Volkswagen Crafter are ideal choices when it comes to choosing your next van lease deal.

Citroen Relay

If you’re after a big, versatile van, the Citroen Relay offers a cavernous cargo area and plenty of conversion options. 

Known as the Citroen Jumper everywhere else, the Relay shares its shell with the Fiat Ducato and the Peugeot Boxer – so you know it’s in good hands. But with Citroen’s ongoing focus on long-term running costs, the Relay can prove to be a more cost-effective option than its cousin vans. 

An example of Citroen’s attention to detail when making sure the van will pull its weight over its entire lifetime is the front bumper. It’s been designed to split into three parts, so if you do have a bump, only a small section will need repairing or replacing, effectively cutting the cost into a third.

And the story is just as good when it comes to the ability of the Relay to carry a lot of cargo.

It’s got one of the best capacities in its class, with the panel van variant’s payloads ranging from 1,125kg to 1,870kg, and load volumes starting at 8m3 in the L1H1 Relay and finishing at 17m3 in the L4H3. Impressive stats, and it only gets more impressive with the sheer versatility of the van.

If you need something a little more specialist than a standard panel van, Citroen offer the Relay in chassis cab, tipper, dropside and Luton variants, as well as their range of Ready To Run conversions.

Citroen’s attention to detail doesn’t end when it comes to the cab, either.

It does feel utilitarian, but then it is designed to be a work van, which means the materials used will be durable, and withstand knocks, bumps and mud. There are also 13 different storage spaces, so you’ll never run out of cubbies to stash the odds and ends that make the workday easier.

Though 13 different hiding places does make it a little harder to find your sunglasses when you’ve forgotten exactly where you put them.

In terms of trims, there are three on offer: X, Enterprise and Driver. If you want something above the bare essentials, Enterprise trim is your best bet. It adds air conditioning, cruise control with a speed limiter, rear parking sensors, and a 5in touchscreen display, as well as the option of adding a reversing camera and all-around parking sensors.

If you’re looking for an everyday work van that can grow with your business, a Citroen Relay lease is one to bear in mind.

Volkswagen Crafter

One of the Relay’s long-standing rivals, the Volkswagen Crafter is an underrated gem in the large van market. 

It’s VW’s biggest van model, and they’ve taken everything they know about making cars – comfort, practicality, versatility – and made it into a big spacious van. If you spend a lot of time on the road, this is the van you’ll want for the utmost in driver comfort.

The latest model was launched in 2017, and Volkswagen used a lot of its very good car tech to upgrade both the cabin and the underlying technical ability of the van. These upgrades include its electromechanical steering system, which is the first time it’s been used in a van this size.

It has meant that Volkswagen have been able to stuff the Crafter full of all the safety kit you could think of – and some you probably didn’t even know existed. 

As a standard, Crafter’s come with four airbags, stability control, automatic post-collision braking and crosswind assist, while delving into the options list can bag you adaptive cruise control, lane assist, emergency front assist, park assist (for hands-free reversing parking), trailer assist (helps you to reverse with a trailer), and side assist (will alert you to any object encroaching on your turn-in radius). 

Essentially, if there’s an assist that’ll make your life easier, VW have put it in the Crafter.

It’s quite the impressive piece of kit. But VW haven’t traded tech for practicality either, and the Crafter boasts competitive stats, including three vehicle lengths and roof heights (making the cargo space a cavernous 18.4m3 in the L3H3 variant), and even the medium wheelbase model can carry six Euro pallets.

Things get even better when you get to the cab.

Volkswagen have focused not just on the tech, but the comfort of the Crafter. The build finish is durable, but high quality, and there’s a good balance between chunky buttons and minor controls in the infotainment screen. Excellent news if you don’t want to have to dig through screen after screen just to turn the aircon down.

There are plenty of little cubbies hidden around the van, as well as a USB connection and 12V power supply to charge your phone on the go. And the central seat can even be folded down to create a desk if you need an on-the-road office.

If you’re after a versatile van that’ll do pretty much everything you need it to, you’ll want to go for a Volkswagen Crafter lease.