Best New Light Commercial Vehicles Coming In 2025 And Beyond

The turnaround and launch of new light commercial vehicles (LCV) is usually a lot slower than you see in the car market, so when a year like 2024 sees multiple launches and announcements it’s very exciting.
There are a lot of new LCVs coming to market over the next couple of years, so here’s a brief look at some of the best and most interesting concepts and production vehicles I’ve seen this year.

At this year’s IAA Transportations show, KIA made their LCV debut. The company’s stand was dominated by their new electric van concept range called ‘PBV’ or ‘Platform Beyond Vehicle’. Better known for cars, KIA is a new face in the LCV world. The range will be made of several vehicles, although on the stand were only the PV5 concept (pictured above, in two variants, medium van - PV5 People Mover concept and PV5 High Roof concept) and the PV7 large van concept. Production versions of one or more of these vehicles are scheduled to make their final debut in summer 2025.
Detailed spec is not currently released or available, but the PV5 will be rapid charge capable of up to 150kW and covered by a seven-year warranty (which is excellent) and the batteries by an industry-standard eight-year warranty. These two vehicles are destined to become the first of four new electric vans KIA will be launching in Europe over the next few years. You can read the article all about KIA’s exciting and futuristic-looking new vans here.

Ford seems to be highly focused on electrified versions of the new Connect compact van, Custom medium van, Transit large van, and its new tool to help fleets work out charging downtime and costs if they make the switch to an electric fleet. However, the new Ranger PHEV, offering up to 27 miles (42km) of electric driving, 1-tonne payloads and 3.5-tonne towing capabilities broke cover at IAA Transportation.
It’s an interesting proposition, and whatever misgivings I may have over hybrid tech in the commercial vehicle sector, if anyone can pull it off and make it successful it’ll be Ford. You can read more about the new Ford Ranger PHEV here.

The latest electric Master large van was given some focus this year, and aside from being a stonking product in general, it's also one of the best looking large vans on the market, in my opinion. But the most surprising reveal was its new compact electric concept van - the Estafette - with the most hi-vis interior I've seen all show (it’s very clearly a concept with no launch date, but is planned to be a last-mile delivery vehicle). However, the company also scooped a major award with their new Master large van winning the coveted International Van of the Year award, beating the Ford E-Transit Custom and Stellantis ProOne large van range into second place. You can read more about the big win here.

The new Transporter medium van (platform sharing with the Ford Transit Custom), planned to be available in panel, caravelle and specialist conversion variants, with a choice of diesel, electric and hybrid models, will be available in 2025. The company also previewed its California camper van versions of the Transporter and Crafter with pricing still TBC. The moment that caught me off guard, however, was that Jason Statham was revealed as the Transporter's brand ambassador under the slogan "the Transporter is back". At IAA Transportation, we were shown a video of the Transporter racing around with cuts to a silhouetted figure dressed in a suit… then the figure walked from the shadows next to the vehicle, we saw it was Jason… and it all slowly faded to black again. Exciting times indeed.

Key focus over the next few years is the new Vauxhall Combo Electric, Vauxhall Movano Hydrogen and the tiny Rocks Kargo Electric (basically a commercial version of a Citroen Ami, sitting snugly in the back of the Movano Hydrogen), but expect the whole range of Stellantis brands to mirror a lot of the same activity. The bit that really caught my eye this year is the delivery package concept where you acquire a Movano/Rocks Kargo at the same time and carry the smaller one around inside it as a last-mile delivery solution so two drivers can cover a delivery area. It’s a cool idea, let’s see if it catches on.

Maxus has broken the news that over the next 24 months or so, 10 new or refreshed commercial vehicle models will launch in Europe and the UK. The key launch this year, however, was the company's new eTerron 9 4x4 pickup truck, offering a 260-mile range, front and rear axle electric motors, 3.5-tonne towing capability, 620kg payload (so not a commercial vehicle in the UK), 236-litre frunk and 1600-litre load space. It has a very Ranger-esque look, but it is no commercial vehicle (tax-wise) and will be reviewed as a car when we get our hands on one due to that sub-1000kg payload - not that this will stop it being used as one.

Predictably, Toyota is all about the Proace Max large van this year - its version of the Stellantis large vans (Vauxhall Movano, Citroen Relay, etc) meaning that now five brands are all selling the same small, medium and large vans in the UK - consumer choice is taking a hit. However, another interesting addition was the reveal of a fuel cell concept of the brand’s stalwart Hilux pickup truck and a display of the fuel cell itself, showing their commitment to employing this technology across the portfolio of models.

One that nearly passed me by this year was BYD showing off its E-Vali large van, which aims to launch as a direct competitor to Ford E-Transit, Fiat E-Ducato and other established electric large vans in Europe. The BYD van can take more cargo than the Ford in volume terms (not weight), but its range is significantly less. E-Vali uses an 80.64kWh ‘blade’ battery which offers up to 155 miles, while E-Transit can offer up to 249 miles. So, there's a balancing act to do in practicality, but it's a very interesting addition to the European market and another new face offering something different in commercial vehicles. UK timings appear to be fluid.

Best known for the trucks and tough-as-nails Daily van, IVECO was largely predictable in what it was showing off… but its joint venture with Hyundai has resulted in the creation of a new commercial vehicle called eMoovy, which was on display today in tipper configuration. When I took a look at the spec I was intrigued because it's an interesting vehicle on paper... then it was revealed that it's unlikely to reach UK shores at all. Such a shame... more electrified choice is definitely needed in the specialist vehicle market at this weight class in the UK.

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