The most reliable vans
Ranked by the MotorFiable Score of the whole car, out of 10: half comes from its engines and the other half from the rest of the car (gearbox, suspension, brakes, electronics…). Only vans with solid evidence are included: at least three sources and five documented faults, each backed by its sources.
Of the 35 vans with solid evidence, the one with the highest score is the Opel Vivaro B (8.5/10), followed by the Renault Trafic III (8.2) and the Ford Transit Connect (7.4). The one with the lowest score is the Mercedes-Benz Vito W447 (3.5/10), mainly because of timing chain stretch and tensioner failure.
- Rank 18.5 out of 10
Engine 10.0
Rest of car 7.1 - Rank 2Renault Trafic III
Van and combi · 2014–today
High severitySecondary parking brake cable fault(brakes)
8.2 out of 10Engine 10.0
Rest of car 6.4 - Rank 3Ford Transit Connect
Van and combi · 2013–2023
Critical severityGear selector lever fault(gearbox and clutch)
7.4 out of 10Engine 9.3
Rest of car 5.5 - Rank 4Peugeot Partner I
Van and combi · 1996–2012
High severityHead gasket damaged after overheating(1.4 and 1.6 TU3/TU5 engine)
6.6 out of 10Engine 6.4
Rest of car 6.8 - Rank 5Citroën Berlingo I
Van and combi · 1996–2012
High severityHead gasket damaged after overheating(1.4 and 1.6 TU3/TU5 engine)
6.6 out of 10Engine 6.4
Rest of car 6.8 - Rank 6Volkswagen Caddy V
Van and combi · 2020–today
Critical severityCorrosion of the Caddy's steering box fixing bolt(steering)
6.6 out of 10Engine 7.7
Rest of car 5.5 - Rank 7Mercedes-Benz Citan W415
Van and combi · 2012–2021
Critical severityUnderbody brake pipe not screwed in properly on cars built in August and September 2016(brakes)
6.5 out of 10Engine 7.3
Rest of car 5.7 - Rank 8Renault Master III
Van and combi · 2010–2024
Critical severitySteering column cover not tightened properly: risk of losing steering (2016-2017)(steering)
6.0 out of 10Engine 6.8
Rest of car 5.2 - Rank 9Ford Transit VI-VII
Van and combi · 2006–2014
Critical severityFatigue of the rear axle brake pipe bracket bolt(brakes)
6.0 out of 10Engine 7.1
Rest of car 5.0 - Rank 10Ford Tourneo Custom
Van and combi · 2013–2023
Critical severityDegradation of the wet timing belt (2.0 EcoBlue)(1.5 / 2.0 EcoBlue engine)
5.8 out of 10Engine 5.6
Rest of car 6.1 - Rank 11Toyota ProAce II
Van and combi · 2016–today
Critical severityRear suspension spring: badly welded bracket (2021) and incorrectly fitted springs (2024)(suspension)
5.8 out of 10Engine 6.6
Rest of car 5.0 - Rank 12Fiat Doblò I
Van and combi · 2000–2010
High severityIntake manifold flap failure (swirl effect)(1.9 JTD/Multijet and 2.4 JTD engine)
5.6 out of 10Engine 5.2
Rest of car 6.1 - Rank 13Volkswagen Transporter T6
Van and combi · 2015–2024
Critical severityTakata recall: the airbag inflator can fragment in a crash(security)
5.5 out of 10Rest of car 5.5
- Rank 14Volkswagen Transporter T5
Van and combi · 2003–2015
Critical severityPlasma coating flaking off the cylinders(2.5 TDI R5 engine)
5.5 out of 10Engine 5.5
Rest of car 5.5 - Rank 15Citroën Jumpy III
Van and combi · 2016–today
Critical severityCorrosion in the bolt and bushes of the front suspension arm(suspension)
5.4 out of 10Engine 5.5
Rest of car 5.4 - Rank 16Ford Transit Custom
Van and combi · 2012–2023
Critical severityLower suspension arms with missing, partial or insufficiently penetrated welds(suspension)
5.3 out of 10Engine 5.6
Rest of car 5.0 - Rank 17Peugeot Expert III
Van and combi · 2016–today
Critical severityFront suspension arms: mounting bolts and joint broken by corrosion(suspension)
5.2 out of 10Engine 5.5
Rest of car 5.0 - Rank 18Renault Kangoo II
Van and combi · 2008–2021
Critical severityWear and seizure of the big-end bearings(1.5 dCi engine)
5.1 out of 10Engine 4.1
Rest of car 6.2 - Rank 19Fiat Doblò II
Van and combi · 2010–2022
Critical severityTiming chain stretch and tensioner failure(1.3 Multijet engine)
5.1 out of 10Engine 4.7
Rest of car 5.5 - Rank 20Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 907
Van and combi · 2018–today
Critical severityHydraulic power steering assistance failure(steering)
5.0 out of 10Engine 5.5
Rest of car 4.6 - Rank 21Citroën Berlingo II
Van and combi · 2008–2018
Critical severityOil-bath timing belt degradation(1.2 PureTech engine)
4.7 out of 10Engine 2.6
Rest of car 6.8 - Rank 22Ford Transit
Van and combi · 2014–today
Critical severityDegradation of the wet timing belt (2.0 EcoBlue)(1.5 / 2.0 EcoBlue engine)
4.5 out of 10Engine 4.1
Rest of car 5.0 - Rank 23Fiat Qubo
Van and combi · 2008–2019
Critical severityTiming chain stretch and tensioner failure(1.3 Multijet engine)
4.4 out of 10Engine 3.6
Rest of car 5.2 - Rank 24Mercedes-Benz Vito W639
Van and combi · 2003–2014
Critical severityTiming chain stretch and tensioner failure(OM651 engine)
4.3 out of 10Engine 3.1
Rest of car 5.5 - Rank 25Peugeot Partner II
Van and combi · 2008–2018
Critical severityOil-bath timing belt degradation(1.2 PureTech engine)
4.2 out of 10Engine 1.6
Rest of car 6.8 - Rank 26Peugeot Partner III
Van and combi · 2018–today
Critical severityWear and breakage of the 7 mm chain between the camshafts(1.5 BlueHDi engine)
4.2 out of 10Engine 2.3
Rest of car 6.2 - Rank 27Fiat Doblò III
Van and combi · 2022–today
Critical severityWear and breakage of the 7 mm chain between the camshafts(1.5 BlueHDi engine)
4.2 out of 10Engine 2.9
Rest of car 5.5 - Rank 28Opel Combo E
Van and combi · 2018–today
Critical severityWear and breakage of the 7 mm chain between the camshafts(1.5 BlueHDi engine)
3.9 out of 10Engine 2.3
Rest of car 5.5 - Rank 29Fiat Scudo III
Van and combi · 2022–today
Critical severityWear and breakage of the 7 mm chain between the camshafts(1.5 BlueHDi engine)
3.9 out of 10Engine 2.9
Rest of car 5.0 - Rank 30Volkswagen Caddy III
Van and combi · 2004–2020
Critical severityCorrosion of the bolt that secures the steering rack(steering)
3.9 out of 10Engine 4.2
Rest of car 3.7 - Rank 31Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 906
Van and combi · 2006–2018
Critical severityTiming chain stretch and tensioner failure(OM651 engine)
3.8 out of 10Engine 3.1
Rest of car 4.6 - Rank 32Peugeot Rifter
Van and combi · 2018–today
Critical severityOil-bath timing belt degradation(1.2 PureTech engine)
3.7 out of 10Engine 2.2
Rest of car 5.2 - Rank 33Citroën Berlingo III
Van and combi · 2018–today
Critical severityOil-bath timing belt degradation(1.2 PureTech engine)
3.7 out of 10Engine 2.2
Rest of car 5.2 - Rank 34Toyota ProAce City
Van and combi · 2019–today
Critical severityOil-bath timing belt degradation(1.2 PureTech engine)
3.6 out of 10Engine 2.2
Rest of car 5.0 - Rank 35Mercedes-Benz Vito W447
Van and combi · 2014–today
Critical severityTiming chain stretch and tensioner failure(OM651 engine)
3.5 out of 10Engine 2.4
Rest of car 4.6
The least reliable vans
The three with the lowest scores and the fault that weighs most in each.
- Mercedes-Benz Vito W447 · 3.5/10Timing chain stretch and tensioner failure (OM651 engine)
- Toyota ProAce City · 3.6/10Oil-bath timing belt degradation (1.2 PureTech engine)
- Citroën Berlingo III · 3.7/10Oil-bath timing belt degradation (1.2 PureTech engine)
How it is calculated
The score combines the risk index of its engines and that of the rest of the car, calculated from the most serious documented faults (severity times frequency). Faults that the manufacturer fixes free of charge under a recall carry less weight. A high score does not guarantee that a particular car will not fail: it means we have found fewer serious, frequent documented faults. More recent models have been on the road for fewer years and may have fewer documented faults: preferably compare cars from the same period. Full methodology