The Business Van of the Year Awards 2018 - winners announced this week!

At Vansdirect we're proud sponsors of the Business Van of the Year Awards 2018, we look ahead to the 2018 show which takes place this week and also take a look at the excellent new vans that took centre stage in last year's event!

The Business Van of the Year Awards 2018

The awards are an opportunity for tradesmen to have their new vans judged independently by a panel of experts, awarding the best new vans, pick-up vans and van finance packages available for tradesmen, small businesses and SME small van fleets. There are seven new van categories to enter, with new van manufacturers being able to enter as many categories as they wish, from the individual category winners, the judges will select their Business Van of the Year 2018!

The seven new van categories are as follows:

Best Small Delivery Van

Perfect for a whole host of different trades, from carpenters and florists to specialist alcohol shops and firms of couriers, each of these would require a new van small and well equipped for lighter deliveries. This category is open to all new vans under 1-tonne GVW, the Vauxhall Corsavan 1.3CDTi 16v 95PS ecoFLEX Start/Stop won the category in 2017!

Best Small Trades Van

Perfect for tradesmen including electricians, painters and decorators (to name a few), all of these trades require a new van that is compact enough to navigate around tricky corners, but also has generous enough dimensions for all of your vital tools. This category is open to new vans under 2.5-tonnes GVW, the Vauxhall Combo 1.3CDTi 2300L1H1 95PS EcoFLEX Start/Stop won the category in 2017!

Best Large Trades Van

A van category idolised by tradesmen, vans in this category are reliable and incredibly spacious and tough, but also comfortable to drive. Perfect for professional trades, such as plumbers, builders, painters and decorators to name a few, the van also needs to look professional. This category is open to new vans with GVWs between 2.5-tonnes and 3.0-tonnes, the Volkswagen Transporter T6 T28 Highline SWB MR 102PS BMT won the category in 2017!

Best Heavy van

The real workhorses, built for carrying out the biggest and heaviest of delivery tasks over long distances. This category is open to new vans with GVWs between 3.0-tonnes and 3.5-tonnes, the Vauxhall Movano 3500 L2H2 FWD 145PS BiTurbo won the category in 2017!

Best Pick-up van

New pick-up vans enjoyed a phenomenal year in 2017 and that popularity is set to increase in 2018, pick-up vans are increasing in business use, with the potential to be a workhorse for a builder or even more of a run around for a property developer. This category is open to both single cab and double cab pick-ups with towing capacities up to 3.5-tonnes, the Volkswagen Amarok 2.0-litre Trendline 180PS 4motion won the category in 2017!

Best Green Van

There is currently a massive focus on the impact of new vans on the environment, a lot of businesses are looking for a van that is green and doesn't affect the environment. This category is open to all new vans with a GVW up to 3.5-tonnes that reduce their environmental impact on the road, this can be through technology (electric, hydrogen, gas, hybrid, etc.) or through enhancements to efficiency that bring low emissions, the Renault Kangoo ZE Maxi LL21 44kW van won the category in 2017!

Best Crew Van

New vans that are fitted with that little extra, with seating for five or more depending on your choice of model. Crew vans are growing in popularity, reducing operating costs in SME van fleets and space for both crew and cargo. This category is open to all new crew, combi, double cab vans up to 3.5-tonnes GVW the Volkswagen Transporter Kombi T6 T30 Highline SWB 102ps BMT van won the category in 2017!

All of the winners will be announced this Wednesday February 7th 2018 at the Business Van of the Year Awards 2018 lunch, sponsored by none other than ourselves, Vansdirect!

Award winning vans direct from Vansdirect!

Looking for a new van? There's no better place to look than the van leasing broker of the year award winner for the past two years! At Vansdirect we have a huge range of new vans in stock from all of the major manufacturers, with cheap van finance deals to suit your requirements, including van leasing, contract hire and hire purchase. Get your award winning new vans direct from Vansdirect, Call us NOW on 0800 169 69 95 or enquire online and we'll get back to you asap, we also offer cars!