Vauxhall van models: What are the different types of Vauxhall vans?

We’ve covered the extensive range of Vauxhall car models, highlighting the manufacturer’s almost 120-year-old automotive legacy. As one of the oldest established vehicle makers and distributers in the UK, Vauxhall has been producing and selling cars since 1903. The brand has carved out a successful path for itself through innovation and reliability. Similar to its highly dependable car range, Vauxhall has perfected its line-up of vans, too. Here, we round up the different types of Vauxhall van models available to drive in the UK.  

History of Vauxhall van models

In 1930, Bedford Vehicles was established as a subsidiary of Vauxhall to manufacture commercial vehicles. The brand manufactured and sold vans, buses, and trucks under the Bedford Vehicles moniker.

The move into commercial vehicle production gave birth to the iconic Bedford van. The two-ton vehicle hit the roads in April 1931. Ahead of its time, the Bedford van was a huge success. It went on to generate a whole series of vans, trucks, and buses.  

As time went on, the 80s saw Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port take on the production of the the Opel Kadett Combo. Introduced in January 1986, with build finishing in August 1993, the Opel spawned four upgraded versions of the Combo van. In recent times it has become an award-winning choice for businesses all over the country.

Fast forward to now and Vauxhall has adopted French manufacturer Renault’s Trafic and Master vans. Rebadged as the Vauxhall Vivaro, and Vauxhall Movano, respectively (more on the models below), Vauxhall sells the two commercial vehicles in Europe. Here is Vauxhall’s full van range available in the UK…

Vauxhall Combo

Vauxhall’s Combo van is a multi-award winning vehicle with a reputation for its practical features and rugged reliability.

A versatile van, the Combo is ultra-practical with a sleek, sporty finish. Its ergonomic interior houses a modern cockpit, putting the driver in control with all the right tech.

Frequent van users can stay connected with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, which projects your smartphone, its sat-nav, music and news app services onto a high-resolution 8-inch colour touchscreen.

While, Vauxhall Connect makes calling for roadside assistance super easy. In an emergency or breakdown, just tap the e-Call or b-Call button and you’ll be put straight through to a trained adviser who can help.

The Combo excels at space and accessibility. Its low loading height and sliding side-access rear doors open up to a massive area with a total cargo space of 3.8 to 4.4m³. There’s an optional FlexCargo Pack with load-through hatch. This allows you to stow longer loads up to 3.44m.

A range of top-notch engine options are available. Choose the powerful yet efficient diesel and pick from four variants: Dynamic, Sportive, Elite, and Crew Van Dynamic. Each offers flexibility with excellent standard features and optional extras for those who want more from their van. For example, the Crew Van gives you the option to have two seats up front and three in the second row, making great use of space.

And businesses who operate in challenging areas can opt for the Combo 4×4. It’s equipped to give you more traction in terrible weather. Raised ground clearance helps improve stability, too.

Vauxhall Vivaro

Vauxhall’s mid-size van, the Vivaro, is more practical and intelligent than ever before. Available in three versions: Panel Van, Doublecab and electric, with three variants: Dynamic, Sportive, and Elite, the Vivaro is all about choice and upgraded features.

A sleeker exterior gives the Vivaro a stylish edge against its competitors such as the Ford Transit Custom and the Volkswagen Transporter. Two lengths cater to different needs: L1 is made for tight city streets while L2 has a larger load area.

Flexibility is what the Vivaro does well. Its spacious cabin is all about the driver’s comfort. With ergonomic support seats and a commanding driving position, long journeys are a breeze.

The Vivaro is a pleasure to drive with car-like, agile handling. This is further enhanced with an array of driver assistance features and safety technology. From semi-adaptive cruise control to speed-sign recognition, a head up display showing key driving details, and sharper lighting technology, the Vivaro instantly ticks the boxes when it comes to efficiency.

Safety wise, drivers can rest-assured knowing they have automatic emergency breaking, lane keep assist, driver drowsiness alert, IntelliGrip for control on all surfaces, and a 180° rear view camera. A central door-locking system and alarm offers even more security.

If loading space is what you need, the optional FlexCargo load-through offers a load length of 4m in the L2 version – along with a load volume of 6.6m³ and payload up to 1400kg. Got your hands full? Open the (optional) electric sliding doors with a flick of your foot. Then start up, key-free.

Vivaro’s range of five energy-efficient diesel engines offer low CO2 emissions and fuel consumption. This gives businesses a chance to save money and do their bit for the environment too. Choose from up to 180PS and transmissions that range from 6-speed manual to 8-speed automatic.

Vauxhall Movana

With a strong, quality build, the Movano is the largest vehicle in Vauxhall’s portfolio. Sharp refreshed design, a greater load capacity, upgraded driver assistance features, and more specialised variants make up the Movano. Available as a panel van, crew cab and chassis cab, the Movano meets the demands of a wide range of fleet users.

It’s available in four different lengths and three heights, carrying a maximum payload of up to 4.5 tonnes and 17m³ of cargo. This means that, in certain configurations, the van can transport up to five euro pallets. There’s a Movano specification to suit a variety of needs. Perfect for trade professionals, 150 different versions of the Movano are available, allowing for numerous conversions for specialist requirements.

Inside the cabin, the multi-adjustable seats are comfortable and supportive, with the optional comfort seats for the driver and passengers offering adjustable lumbar support. In the cargo area, LED lighting makes the Movano easy to use even in dark conditions, while new handles on the sidewalls and pillars further improve convenience.

Behind the wheel, drivers benefit from excellent connectivity and entertainment features thanks to the Navi 5.0 IntelliLink Pro infotainment system. The system features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, with the interior featuring a wireless charging point for smartphones.

With a range of powerful yet frugal engines options with smooth transmissions, Vauxhall has revised the Movano’s powertrain line-up. The Vauxhall Movano comes with the new BiTurbo engines, all offering higher power, more torque and greater efficiency than ever before.

Thanks to low fuel consumption and long service intervals, the new BiTurbo engines greatly reduce the cost of ownership for businesses and fleet operators. Service intervals have been extended to 25,000 miles or two years, while moderately priced spare parts and materials further reduce operating costs.

Vauxhall’s all-electric van models

Vauxhall is one of the few brands that offers fully-electric versions of its entire range of commercial vehicles. With tons of benefits for businesses, here’s a little more about these 100% electric vans.

Vauxhall Combo-e

For light speed and low-cost, the Combo-e is the van’s all-electric version. Its efficiency and practicality earned it the title of Van of the Year at the 2022 What Car? Van and Commercial Vehicle Awards.

For businesses who want to reap the benefits of emission-free driving, the Combo-e delivers long-range driving. Its high-energy density 50kWh 18-module battery that can charge from empty up to 80% of maximum range in less than 30 minutes, when you use a 100kW fast charger.

And you don’t have to worry about space. The Combo-e has the same impressive load volume of 4.4m³. Making sure that businesses don’t have to compromise on reliability for better performance.

Vauxhall Vivaro-e

The fully-electric Vivaro-e was awarded Medium Van of the Year at the 2022 What Van? Awards, and it’s not difficult to see why.

You have a choice of batteries: the 50kWh unit has a range of up to 143 miles while the 75kWh battery delivers a range of up to 205 miles. You can re-charge the 50kWh battery to up to 80% in just 30 minutes at a 100kW public charger – the 75kWh unit takes 45 minutes. Or plug in at home. The on-board 7.4kW and optional 11kW chargers will power up the All-electric Vivaro-e overnight.

Use the Drive Mode Selector – Power for maximum performance and comfort with heavy loads. Normal for a drive balanced between performance and efficiency. And Eco for maximum range and energy efficiency.

A versatile performer with zero emissions, low maintenance and no road tax, the 100% electric Vivaro-e also qualifies for the government grant which pays 35% of the purchase price, up to a maximum of £5,000. Helping businesses make the switch to electric.

Vauxhall Movano-e

The Movano-e is a zero emissions vehicle with low running costs as well as a range of up to 139 miles. Making it a good choice for frugal businesses who travel further.

Featuring a 90kW (122PS) and 260Nm electric motor, the Movano-e is available with a choice of either a 37kWh or the recently updated 75kWh battery, with ranges of 72 miles and 154 miles, respectively.

The larger 75kWh battery, which replaces the 70kWh option previously available, brings with it an improvement in range of up to 15 extra miles, and is coupled with a 120PS electric motor with maximum torque of 260Nm.

It delivers instant responsiveness with no vibrations and a smooth driving experience. The increased range makes it perfect for larger loads in urban environments.

Like Vauxhall’s other fully electric LCV models, the Movano-e is exempt from current ultra-low and congestion charge zones. Plus, the zero emissions powertrain also allows businesses to save significantly on company van tax, with a 0% Benefit-in-Kind tax rate. This provides eligible businesses with immediate and significant annual savings that can amount to thousands of pounds.

The Movano-e’s lithium-ion battery is mounted under the floor between the front and rear axle. This positioning of the battery also results in a low centre of gravity, improving cornering and stability even when the van is fully loaded.  A sophisticated regenerative braking system that recovers energy when slowing further increases the Movano-e’s efficiency.

Benefitting from both VauxhallConnect and the MyVauxhall app, you can access useful information such as nearby charging stations. While VauxhallConnect gives drivers access to features such as current charge status. Additionally, Live Navigation provides online traffic information in real time.

Depending on trim level, the safety systems available include forward collision alert, blind spot warning, lane departure warning and Hill Descent Control, to name but a few features of the Movano-e.

Future Vauxhall van models

Vauxhall is currently working on the Vivaro-e Hydrogen which is set to be added to its LCV range in 2023.

The new fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) is based on the existing battery electric Vivaro-e. The plug-in fuel cell concept of the Vivaro-e Hydrogen enables the integration of the whole fuel cell system with the existing traction motor under the bonnet of the production vehicle.

Thanks to the smart packaging, the battery electric version becomes a fuel cell electric LCV without any modifications to the body (available in standard 4.95m and long 5.30m wheelbase) and with no impact on the 5.3m3 to 6.1m3 of cargo space, while the payload increases to 1,100kg.

The New Vivaro-e Hydrogen delivers range autonomy of 249 miles. This comprises of 218 miles for the 4.4kg hydrogen which can be refilled in three minutes, and a further 31 miles from the 10.5kWh battery. The Hydrogen Fuel tanks are located under the floor, and the battery is located under the front seats.