Renault Trafic (01 on) - Review

A range of bodystyles means Trafic suits the needs of a range of buyers. The panel van is the most common and is available with an optional high roof. Cargo capacity is excellent. The standard van has 5.0 cubic metres in basic form - which is more than enough than enough for large boxes. With a high roof and a high roof there's up to 8.0 cubic metres. The six-seat crew-cab version has both short and long wheelbase low roof versions and a load area of up to 4m³. It's low to the ground, which makes it easy to load.

Every Trafic has ABS, and emergency brakeforce distribution. Optional safety extras include dual front airbags, seatbelt pre-tensioners and an electronic stability programme. Security is good, with anti-tamper locks, remote central locking and an immobiliser. A third key can also be specified, which is particularly useful for fleet customers.

A good value van. It's reasonably priced as both a new and a used buy, has sensible insurance and has long service intervals (every 18,000 miles, with a major service every 60,000). Fuel economy from the dCi diesel engines is respectable and depreciation is about the same as other vans of this size.

There was one recall at the start of Trafic's life to fix a possible missing securing clips on the linkage between the brake pedal and servo. Trafic is pretty reliable and the dCi engines are strong.