Electric Ford E-Transit takes top honours in annual What Car? Van and Commercial Vehicle Awards
The all-electric Ford E-Transit has been named What Car? Van of the Year at the consumer title’s annual Van and Commercial Vehicle Awards.
Judges praised the E-Transit’s long electric range of up to 196 miles, its effortless acceleration, and the fact that it can carry larger payloads than rivals while saving buyers potentially thousands of pounds in running costs.
In addition to taking the overall Van of the Year accolade, the Ford E-Transit was named Best Electric Van and Best Large Van.
The Ford Transit is Britain’s most popular large van, with more than 25,000 having been sold between January and September this year alone. Since production of the original Transit began in 1965, more than three million have been sold in the UK, spanning multiple versions and generations.
In 2021, sales of electric vans were up by 261.8% compared with the previous year, representing a market share of close to 8.5%.
What Car? Vans editor Darren Moss said: “The Ford E-Transit represents a watershed moment for electric vans. With a configuration available to suit most businesses, performance that will help you keep pace with the cut and thrust of urban traffic or get up to motorway speeds quickly, and a long electric range, the E-Transit leads in just about every area.”
The 2023 What Car? Van and Commercial Vehicle Awards recognised winners across 10 categories, ranging from small and large vans to pick-up trucks and campervans.
Other winners for the 2023 Awards included the Dacia Duster Commercial, which won Best Commercial SUV for its mix of value and practicality, and the Toyota Hilux, which was named as the Best Commercial Pick-Up for its go-anywhere load-lugging ability.
Aside from the Ford E-Transit, other electrified winners included the hybrid Toyota Corolla Commercial, which was named as the Best Car-based Van.
What Car? editor Steve Huntingford said: “This year’s winners show that electric models are catching up with, and even surpassing in some cases, their mainstream rivals. Working vehicles need to be as easy to live with as possible, and our winners show that whether you’re in need of something big or small, electric or combustion-engined, there are fantastic options out there to suit every budget.”