Commercial vehicles are a very different prospect to passenger cars, so at Parkers we take a different approach to how we test vans as a result. I’m Tom Webster and I’m the Vans Editor for Parkers and I’ve been covering the world of commercial vehicles for almost a decade, so I’ve driven all the best vans – and the best pickup trucks – (and the worst) on sale in that time.
The most important thing in my mind whenever I get into a new vehicle is you – the van buyers and drivers who will be living with them. This is true for the whole reviewing team too, and we aim to put ourselves in the user’s shoes.
This is a bigger challenge with commercial vehicles than it is with cars, due to the wide array of different use cases there are in the world of work. You might be delivering parcels up and down the motorway in the best large van, want the best medium van to load up with trade tools or want the best small van to deliver flowers around town. You might want the best pickup for towing, work off road in a remote set of rural hills or head down to the beach loaded up with surfboards.
We can’t actually do all those things, and it would be doing a disservice to the trades and use cases that we skipped if we tried to, but we try and factor in the elements that are important to all those buyers. That means considering how easy it is to load and unload, what it is like to drive and – crucially given this is many people’s daily office – what it’s like in the cabin.
How much driving do you do in a van?
Parkers is one of the most respected van reviewing websites out there, so we get invited on the early launch events for the latest vehicles. How we test vans is much the same wherever we are, be that abroad or in the UK, but these initial events are where we form our first opinions on a vehicle. These drives tend not to be that long, with the on-road element of the events often only lasting a few hours. This is where having the context of driving all the latest vans and pickups stands us in good stead, as it means we can concentrate on the differences between a vehicle and its rivals rather than having to start from scratch each time.
On these events we are at the mercy of the launch planners, which means we rarely have a say over the location and routes. The manufacturers want us to get a good sense of a vehicle and what it can do though, which means that we can end up on demanding off-road courses for rugged pickup trucks or heading around warehouses and visiting small businesses when assessing vans.
Sometimes there is a UK launch event, which is much the same but with cooler weather and our own roads. We then look to spend longer with a van or a pickup back in the UK, often by having it in for a week at the office. This means we can really pile on the miles and dig deeper into how a vehicle slots into UK life. This means multiple team members can get behind the wheel and we can head out on roads we are familiar with.
Finally, in some cases we will get a vehicle in on a long-term test, which means we can spend several months living with it and subjecting it to the rigours of daily life. This can reveal issues and benefits that might not be immediately apparent over a shorter test. These multi-layered tests can mean that our star ratings change over time, as we learn more about a vehicle. Context can also see a vehicle’s rating change, as newer rivals move the game on.
Once a year we name the best in the UK in the Parkers Vans and Pickups Awards.
What do the Parkers star ratings mean?
All of the Parkers van reviews come with a rating out five, but within that we have a little flexibility if we want to differentiate one vehicle from another, so you’ll see scores to one decimal place.
As well as an overall score, we also have ratings for various different areas – more on that below. It’s important to note that the overall score is not necessarily an average of all the different scores. A van or pickup might objectively perform well in all of them but one, but that one category could be a defining one.
All our reviews assess the following areas:
Driving experience
While handling might not seem as big a deal in a vehicle designed to be a tool, it is still very important, especially given some vans clock up tens of thousands of miles a year. We consider the vehicle’s power and how capable it is likely to be when carrying a full load, what the ride and handling are like, whether they are going to leave you feeling relaxed at the end of a hard day and how easy it is to manoeuvre in urban spaces and on motorways alike.
We also consider what it is like off road if that is relevant, and how accessible all the various features are that help it tackle tougher terrain.
Cabin and interior
A van could be your office on the road, so we carefully consider everything up front on the inside. This means looking at what sort of storage there is and whether there are any clever touches that make life easier.
We also factor in comfort, both in the form of the seats and the layout – is the driving position good and can you reach all the controls easily?
Running costs and value
This is a crucial factor for commercial vehicles, as they are usually bought with the head rather than the heart. We know that it is about more than simply the cash price, though, so we consider the running costs, including the electric range, fuel economy, tax liability and the different trim levels.
Reliability
This can sometimes be hard to judge in commercial vehicles given the wildly differing lives that they tend to lead – one model of van might be bought by a long-distance courier, a plumber, someone working on an off-road building site or by someone delivering flowers around town. However, we also have access to the best van reliability data in the industry, thanks to sister publication Fleet News.
We also listen to you, so please do contact us if you have encountered any notable issues with your vehicle.
Safety and security
This has become less of a crucial category in recent times, thanks to legislation that has required manufacturers to up their game on the passive and active safety front. This means that modern vans now have to conform to a certain standard by law. Euro NCAP has taken more of an interest in how the driver assistance systems work, too, naming the safest vans on sale.
That means that these days we no longer berate a van for only offering a single driver’s airbag and instead look at how intrusive the systems are, what comes as standard and what is optional and whether they go the extra mile over what they have to provide.
Interior capacity
Our dimensions page is crucial to assessing whether a van is suitable for your needs or not. We list all the major measurements, inside and out, so that you can decide which version best fits your business requirements.
We consider how practical it is, and highlight any features that might hinder or help you in your daily duties. A step on the side of a pickup makes a huge difference to how easy it is to reach what is at the front of the loading bay for example.
Payload and towing
Finally, we consider all the crucial van weights, including how much it can carry and tow and how this stacks up against its rivals.
Read more about how we test cars and how we test products.
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