The final countdown has begun as judges begin weighing up which van deserves the coveted International Van of the Year Award.
The presentation will take place in Hanover, Germany, in September.
There are 12 vans on the long list from joint ventures and individual brands and judges are now expecting every aspect of the entrant’s drivetrain, technology and design.
Judges search for the best van
The judges will now reduce this list to a shortlist for members to vote on in August and a final vote will take place in September before the announcement is made.
Vehicles in the running for the International Van of the Year include:
- Ford Transit
- Ford Transit Courier
- Fiat Professional and PSA Peugeot/Citroën Ducato/Boxer/Relay
- Renault and GM Opel/Vauxhall Trafic and Vivaro
- Renault and GM Opel/Vauxhall Master and Movano
- Iveco Daily
- Nissan e-NV200
- Mercedes-Benz Vito
From the long list, the judges will have a tough time in trying to find a shortlist and then trying to find a winner since several excellent vans have been unveiled in the past year.
Possible winner for the ‘Van of the Year’
The new Ford Transit is likely to be a front runner with the new Vauxhall Vivaro, an impressive improvement on its best-selling model, leading the stakes but punters shouldn’t rule out the prospects for the highly regarded Iveco Daily and the excellent Mercedes Vito.
However, a dark horse in the competition could be in the shape of the only all-electric van in the line-up: the Nissan e-NV200 may just steal the crown thanks to its practicality and unbelievable low running costs.