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Here are the most reliable vans you can get online for under £5k.
When looking for a new van, you must get one that is right for you, especially if it’s a vehicle you’re getting for work or for transporting heavy goods frequently.
If you’re on a budget, you’ll take great comfort in knowing that you don’t have to sacrifice quality at all to get a used van for a great price. The market is seriously competitive, meaning that there are plenty of excellent, well-revered vans that you can pick up.
The perfect van needs enough cargo space to store everything you need while being comfortable and powerful to drive in. At Car Adviser, we’ve put together a list of what we think to be the best vans you can get online for under £5,000.
If you can stretch your budget a bit more, we also have a list for vans under £10,000 and resources and lists about other types of cars. You can find helpful articles on all things motoring here on Car Adviser.
These are the top 10 most reliable used vans you can buy in the UK for under £5,000:
If you’re looking for a van that’s a bit on the smaller side but that still has excellent space for cargo, then the Vauxhall Combo is a great option. Its petite size makes it far less intimidating to drive, which also helps it control better and allows it to navigate traffic better.
The Combo has a comfortable cab, which is essential if you’re using the van for long-haul travel, and the engine of the Combo is also powerful enough to ensure that you can keep up with faster-moving traffic, even with a full load.
The van can sometimes feel like a large SUV when being driven, making it a familiar van that works well for people who may have little experience driving a van before. Its gearbox feels very much like the one you’d find in a car, making it great to drive.
The Combo maintains a fairly square body shape, which helps make it a practical van that can load a lot of equipment. More modern Combo’s also come with a load indicator that informs you if the van is getting overloaded, which can be a great feature.
It also comes with a wealth of great safety features, making it a perfect van for those who are a little nervous about driving one for the first time.
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If you’re looking for a mid-sized van suitable for small jobs and more demanding storage, then the Renault Trafic is one of the best options you can get. This van is very well suited to city driving, and that’s because of its more economical engine, meaning that you’ll be paying less when entering low-emission zones.
Many people consider the cargo bay for the Trafic to be one of the best among vans of this size, as it can give you up to 8.6 cubic metres of space, which gives you a lot of options and makes it a very versatile van.
It’s also a comfortable van to be in, as the cabin comes with various features and extras such as Bluetooth and a speed limiter, helping you to become more efficient.
It’s one of the longer mid-sized vans on the market, meaning that it could take some time to adjust when driving, especially when taking corners. That said, that length can make it very handy when trying to fit awkward pieces of furniture and other items.
The driving position of the van gives you great command of the road, and the suspension is good and isn’t too bouncy when the van is empty, which is surprising for many vans of this nature.
The Renault Trafic is almost a flawless van and is a great option, provided you can find one under the £5,000 price range. To get the best options, you may have to pay a bit more than this.
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The Mitsubishi L200 is a stylish and modern-looking pick-up van, offering plenty of space for unsheltered cargo.
This is a perfect value track, with modern iterations offering a great engine, good fuel economy, and a valuable storage space that makes it ideal for transporting items around.
Due to its pick-up body shape, it’s a much easier van to drive than most, as you’ll be able to utilise your rear window much more often to help with reversing and parking. You can also get this vehicle as a four-door option, allowing you to carry up to 5 passengers, making it a great vehicle to transport a team of workers.
Compared to other vans on this list, the load space is a bit more compact, especially when you consider the width of the car, so it may not be suitable for large loads. It only has a maximum payload capacity of around 1,045-1080kg, depending on the specific model you get.
The car drives well on most roads and maintains a relatively smooth ride for a van.
What helps this truck stand out is that it has off-road capabilities, making it a perfect option for those who work outdoors and could benefit from having a van that can reach hard to get to places.
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The Ford Transit is an iconic workers’ van in the UK, and most will typically think of one when asked to think of a typical van. This is because the Ford Transit is a fantastic van offering a lot of practicality and driving ability.
The Ford Transit is enormous and has a really tall roof that allows drivers to store a lot of cargo into it. This increased size also gives the driver a raised diving position, giving them a good view of the road, which can help when trying to control a van of this size.
There are a lot of different trims and options with the Ford Transit, meaning that you’ll easily find one on the second-hand market that suits you well, although some can be a bit more than the £5,000 price limit.
Still, you should be able to get a Transit that drives well and has good performance for under this price. In fact, the way that a Transit drives is the most significant selling point of the vehicle, as it has great power to ensure that it can keep up with traffic, even on motorways.
Its suspension is also fantastic for a van and provides a comfortable drive that’s comparable to that of a car.
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The Citroen Nemo is a perfectly capable van you can get on the second-hand market, although it has a few more shortcomings than some of the previously mentioned vans.
Although the van is relatively easy to drive, some of its rivals offer a smoother experience, as its lacklustre suspension can result in bumpy rides. It’s also a pretty small van compared to others, but it’s still roomy enough to store various items and cargo.
Its smaller size gives it a more car-like drive, which can be a bonus for those who aren’t experienced with van driving, but you sacrifice power and practicality for this.
In fact, the Nemo has been modelled on the Fiat Punto, which explains its more car-like feel to it. For some, the Citron Nemo may feel like a hollowed-out 7-seater and may feel a bit dainty when at top speeds.
Its compactness may be a benefit when navigating the city, but it can leave you in bad situations if you cannot load everything up in one trip. The car can also be thrown off by potholes and bumps, which can make driving it feels a bit more difficult than it should be.
It’s an excellent little option if you’re looking for a compact van for cheap, but it may not suit those who have heavy-duty requirements.
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The Fiat Doblo Cargo is a small van offering limited cargo size. However, if you’re looking for a compact van to transport low payloads, this could be one of the best small vans you can get on the second-hand market.
Over the years, the Doblo Cargo has obtained two international vans of the Year awards in 2006 and 2010, meaning that it has a pedigree and will give you a good performance if you get one.
Although the van is compact, it offers a significant amount of load space and practicality. It achieves this by having a relatively high roof, allowing you to fill it to the brim and cram in more than you may think you could at first.
Plus, with its independent rear suspension system, the van can confidently handle large weights and provide a comfortable drive. It also handles well for a van, especially at low speeds, which helps make it feel agile. That said, other vans mentioned on this list, such as the Ford Transit, still outperform it in terms of driving performance.
The cab is equally as spacious as the cargo bay, helping to keep drivers comfortable; however, there have been complaints about the size of the dials and digits on the dashboard.
Many find them hard to read, which does harm the accessibility of the Fiat Doblo Cargo a little bit.
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The Peugeot Partner is one of two vans offered by Peugeot that you can pick up for well under £5,000. This small van option is pretty good when considering many of its features.
The most significant selling point of the Partner is that it’s a very comfortable van to drive, as it handles well, offers a smooth drive even with an empty cargo bay, and also has good power and acceleration to ensure that it doesn’t fall away from other road traffic.
It also holds a considerable payload weight, meaning that you can load some pretty heavy objects in it without it being a problem.
The cabin is also a nice place to be in, as it offers a good amount of comfort and a low steering wheel that naturally puts you in a comfortable driving position. The dashboard is also well positioned in the driver’s line of sight, allowing you to see everything about your van.
This vehicle is lacking because it omits a few safety kits, making it a bit less reliable than other vans. These safety kits of usually optional, so many of the Partners on the second-hand market may be without them. This can help reduce the price, though.
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The other Peugeot van in this price range is the Peugeot Expert and differs from the Partner because it is a mid-sied van, offering more room and power. Despite its increased size, you still get car-like comfort from the cabin, and it drives well in various conditions.
The Expert is one of the cheaper vans to run, as it offers excellent fuel economy, helping to keep it as a low-cost van once you own it. It also has a good amount of space, with its available load length of 3.320 meters helping it to stand out among the mid-sized vans on the market.
This van is also a lot safer than the Peugeot Partner, as it has more safety features that can protect you in a crash and help you avoid incidents.
Issues with the Expert include its driving and performance. Although not terrible, the biggest problem is the power of the engine, and it can make the van feel weak, especially on faster roads. It can also feel hesitant when first pulling off, making drivers apprehensive when driving it.
It’s still a comfortable and practical van, and it just needs a bit of juice in the driving department to be considered a fantastic van.
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Mercedes-Benz is a brand that is more associated with luxury and high performance, but with that said, they also have an extraordinary range of vans of different sizes. The Vito is a good budget option for many, as it’s a practical mid-size van that focuses on delivering comfort and quality.
The Vito is a well-put-together van, using high-performance materials and performance to create a van that you can trust. Its driving position and suspension make it a very comfortable van to be in, and it is smooth on most roads.
That said, although being a great van to drive, it does have a few flaws that may not make it the best option for workers. Its cargo area could be more practical, and getting some items into the vehicle can be tough due to how it’s been designed. Plus, the roof for all Vito’s are a bit low, making it a bit harder to pack certain items or tall loads.
The Mercedes-Benz Vito is a highly economical mid-sized van with meagre running costs due to its fuel efficiency. It makes it a good option for contractors and workpeople who want to minimise their bottom line.
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The Fiat Fiorino is a very small van, offering a bit of extra storage space to help you haul about minimal loads. It’s a compact van that suits tight roads and streets of the city, and because of this, it drives well and doesn’t feel too dissimilar to an SUV to drive.
The fact that the Fiorino drives like a car is no coincidence, as it’s actually been designed to be car-like and has similar dimensions to one. This makes it relatively tiny compared to other vans, although it is noticeably bigger than other car-based vans.
The Fiorino has a lot of good safety features built-in in it, making it a trustworthy and reliable van. It’s a van that’s expected to last, with no components particularly prone to breaking, so getting this van from the second-hand market can be a great option.
It’s a great option if you’re on a budget, as the car can be found online for well under £5,000 most of the time. The interior is a bit plain and boring, but it still has everything needed to be a practical van that can be useful in low-demand occasions.
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With vans being considerably larger than most cars you're likely used to driving, many people often expect that you may need a special license to drive these larger vehicles.
Thankfully, that is not the case, as you should be able to drive most vans with a standard license, as long as it's valid, in date, and has enough points on it.
However, it's essential to know that not all vans are valid to be driven with a standard license. If the truck weighs more than 3,500kg, you will need a special license to prove that you can drive these vehicles safely.
If you're new to driving a van, you may wonder if there are any noticeable differences compared to driving a car. Depending on what van you get, there will be noticeable changes.
Most vans will have you in a higher driving position, giving you a greater view of the road. This can help with visibility but may mean that your reference points are slightly different.
Because vans are much larger and heavier than standard cars, they are usually a bit more robust when moving from a standstill. They can feel heavy and a bit sluggish at higher speeds, though, and they will also have a longer breaking distance because of their size.
Vans also have specific rules that differ when driving on various roads. If your van is not a car-type van, you will be required to drive 10mph slower on duel and single carriageways. You will also have further limits if your van is towing a trailer.
To determine if your van is considered car-like, you can check the owner's manual to see its classification. However, as a general rule of thumb, if the van weighs less than 3,500Kg, it should be car-like and have the same speed limits as a regular car.
These are the most reliable used vans you can buy in the UK for under £5000: