It doesn’t really matter if you believe in climate change or not when it comes to the engine performance of a van, because one thing’s very simple about being a commercial van driver: the less economical your vehicle (or fleet) is, the more it’ll hit your back pocket.
Now admittedly, vans have gotten a lot more efficient over the last few years, both by better design and due to government restrictions and targets for CO2 emissions, among other environmental measures. Yet while it’s generally accepted that you’ll get a better MPG than you may have 20 years ago, it can be hard to understand which van will give you the best bang for your buck if you’re looking to keep costs down – or simply do better by nature.
How is van economy measured?
The Vehicle Certification Agency, or VCA, handles all testing of vans in the UK. Its current test comes in two parts: “urban” and “extra-urban” cycles. Vans that are tested are so-called “run-in” models – ones that have covered at least 1,800 miles (3,000km) ahead of measuring.
Urban cycle
This test is done in a lab, under temperatures of 20-30°C on a rolling road from a cold start. It runs vans through a series of “accelerations, steady speeds, decelerations and idling”, to a max speed of 31mph, and an average speed of 12mph, over 2.5 miles.
Extra-urban cycle
This test represents the use of a van away from towns and cities, and is run straight after the urban cycle. Half is a steady-speed drive, with accelerations, decelerations, and idling making up the rest. It goes up to 75mph, averages 39mph, and covers 4.3 miles. The combined fuel consumption figure
averages both parts of the test, and fuel economy is measured on a simple miles to the gallon ratio.
What makes these even more special?
- The Fiorino is in a dead heat with the Peugeot Bipper for economy over its medium size, but that’s basically because it’s the same vehicle. It comes with an automated manual gearbox and a start/stop system – it may take some getting used to, but we love it.
- Although panel vans often offer a fuel economy of over 40mpg, the Ducato beats rivals from Citroen and Ford by a big margin with its 44.1mpg. What’s more, there are a good few variants that use the 2.3-litre diesel engine (110PS or 130PS), so there are plenty of configurations you can adapt.
- The Nissan NV400 is a surprise to many, not least because it comes with a five-year/100,000-mile guarantee as standard. Yet it’s taken a page out of the Ford Transit’s book, offering loads of configurations and gadgets. If you want a brand-new van, you’ll be hard-pushed to get a better one than this.
One thing that’s still worth underlining is that fuel economy is managed as much by the driver as it is the van. Proper training and telematics can also manage best practice – so don’t just rely on new van technology to ensure you save money with your fleet!