Load Space Comparison – Medium Vans

Medium vans are highly popular. They can provide good cargo capability while still being small enough to manoeuvre in narrow streets and around tight corners. With a larger carrying capability than small vans, and better handling and fuel economy than their larger counterparts, medium vans are very much the “best of both worlds” between the two extremes.

But how good are they, in terms of load capacity? In this article, we’re going to have a look at some of the more popular medium vans and examine their load space and weight capabilities, to see which brands come out on top.

As each van has its own speciality and niche, there will be pros and cons for all of the vehicles, so the choice of van may come down to choosing the one that suits its expected use the most. 

The Vauxhall Vivaro sits in the middle of the range in terms of base load dimensions, but can carry a greater payload than most of the medium vans available for lease. 1170kg is a substantial carry amount when compared to the other vans in this category, making it an excellent choice when payload is important.

Load dimensions are similar to the Citroen and Peugeot offerings, as these vans are built with the same framework.

One thing to bear in mind with the Vivaro is the angled bulkhead between the load area and the cab. This provides additional space at floor level for long objects, and combined with the FlexCargo pack that allows additional length by loading through a hatch in the bulkhead.

One vital statistic that puts the Vauxhall Vivaro above the other vehicles is the price. When dealing with Van Ninja, you’ll find our Vauxhall prices are much more competitive than other lenders, and much cheaper than other manufacturers.

The Ford Transit Custom has the highest load space of the medium vans we are covering today, but only by a few mm. It also has the widest cargo area, at 1775mm, though as with all medium vans, the rear wheel arches intrude on this space. At its narrowest between the wheels, the Transit Custom has 1351mm of useable width.

This is still large enough to fit a Euro pallet in sideways, allowing for a standard L1 Transit Custom to fit 3 Euro pallets if they are loaded correctly. An optional load-through storage area allows the van to fit items up to 3m through a hatch in the bulkhead beneath the passenger seat.

Rear doors lock 180 degrees open, allowing for easy loading and unloading, and the single side door is one of the widest in the industry.

The Mercedes Vito have three different load lengths, ranging from 2586mm to 3061mm. The Vito does not have a bulkhead hatch like many of the other models listed here, so for longer cargo, the Vito Extra Long is needed.

Load height for all three variants is 1391mm, which is in line with the other medium vans available, as is the maximum load width of 1685mm.

Mercedes vans generally have more features than other brands, making them a more enjoyable drive, but this does take away weight from the available payload. Because of this, the Vito has a smaller capacity of 701kg.

The Citroen Dispatch is built on the same base as the Vauxhaul Vivaro and the Peugeot Expert, and so has the same base dimensions for its cargo space. Due to the different features each of the manufacturers have, and the different dashboards and a few other variations, the payload capacity is different between the vans. The Dispatch has a payload of 975kg, slightly smaller than the Vivaro but still favourable when compared to the Transit Custom or the Vito.

As is becoming standard with medium vans from most manufacturers, the Dispatch has an optional bulkhead hatch that allows loading of extra-length items under the passenger seat. This ModuWork option increases the load length to 3.3m, providing a long-length option without having to buy a large van.

There is not a lot of difference between the Peugeot Expert and the Citroen Dispatch. Both vehicles have matching payload capacity and load space dimensions, so it’s really down the design choices made in the cab and the differences in the visual trim.

Both the Peugeot Expert and the Citroen Dispatch are capable vehicles which can fit 3 Euro pallets in the load area and can carry close to a ton, so both medium vans are more than useful for a range of business purposes.

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With light commercial vehicles in short supply at the moment, it might be necessary to weigh the need for your ideal van against the availability of various models.

Van Ninja have some vehicles in stock currently, which can be delivered in two to four weeks after a successful finance approval, but due to the current state of the market, some vehicles are unavailable.

If you need a vehicle urgently, please contact us today and find out what we have in stock. Our leasing experts are here to help.