Menu
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.
Pros
Cons
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.
Pros
Cons
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.
Pros
Cons
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.
Pros
Cons
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.
