Nissan scoops van of the year award

In news that may interest van insurance policyholders, the Nissan NV200 has been named the International Van of the Year by driving experts.

Voted for by 23 motoring journalists from across Europe, the judges represented a readership of more than 500,000 commercial vehicle owners.

According to the official statement released by the judging panel, the NV200's compact size, but extensive storage space, was particularly impressive.

Speaking shortly after hearing the news, Andy Palmer, Nissan's senior vice-president, said: "The NV200 is a global vehicle that associates unmatched levels of functionality with unique and attractive design. We offer our customers a vehicle that is an efficient and reliable business tool."

The company claims the van's dimensions are closer to that of a car than most commercial vehicles, at 4.4m long, 1.86m tall and 1.69m wide.

Despite its compact appearance, the cargo load bay is more than two metres long, with enough space to house two standard Euro pallets at the same time.

As the cargo floor is the lowest in its category, the model boasts a total capacity of 4.2m of volume, one metre more than its nearest competitor, says Nissan.

Currently available in Japan, the NV200 is the sector's leader, with a 40 per cent market segment.

In the UK the NV200 will initially only be offered in van form, priced from £12,090. A combi version will join the range closer to the February launch.

Another light commercial vehicle scoring well in recent tests is the Ford Transit, which was named the most reliable vehicle in a survey of 183 autos conducted by financial consultants Grant Thornton and Fleet News.

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The views expressed within the article are entirely those of Adfero Ltd and are not those of the BGL Group