Best hybrid vans 2025
A hybrid van could be what your business needs to flourish, and these are the best options
The number of electric vans on the market is growing fast, and there remains a wide choice of diesel power. However, what if you want economy, low emissions and a longer driving range all in one van? This is where a hybrid-powered commercial could be the right choice for you and your business.
As with hybrid cars, there’s a variety of hybrid options, covering mild hybrid such as the Ford Transit, full hybrid as you get with the Toyota Corolla Commercial, and plug-in hybrid as with the Ford Transit Custom PHEV. Each has its pros and cons based on your driving and work needs.
With a plug-in hybrid van, you could potentially save a lot on fuel bills if you only travel short distances to where you’re working and can charge the van overnight or while you’re at work. They will also allow you to drive into city centres with charges for low-emissions zones, whereas older diesel-powered vans will have to pay a levy.
There’s a limited choice of hybrid vans available in the UK, with Ford dominating the market with its Transit models and the Ranger pick-up. However, there are some other options, and you can pick between mild and full hybrid power, and even a range-extender with one of the options below.
While the choice of hybrid vans may be limited, they offer longer driving ranges than most EV vans while lowering emissions. You will need to make your own calculations to know if an EV or hybrid is better suited to your needs, but the benefit of a hybrid is you won’t be caught short trying to find a charging point when you have a vital deadline to meet.
Read on to see the best hybrid vans that you can buy in 2025.
1. Ford Transit Custom PHEV
There’s a reason the Ford Transit Custom is a firm favourite with businesses: it’s a brilliant van. This has been the case since the Transit was first launched back in 1965, so it’s had six decades to perfect the formula, which now includes a plug-in hybrid PHEV model.
As a middle ground between the fully electric E-Transit and the standard diesel model, the PHEV comes with a 2.5-litre petrol engine and 11.8kWh battery. This gives the Transit PHEV an electric driving range of up to 35 miles, although that will depend very much on your driving style and how much cargo is being carried. This hybrid Transit can also tow up to 2.3 tonnes – although this is half a tonne less than the diesel’s maximum – and emits as little as 35g/km of carbon dioxide emissions.
2. Ford Transit Connect Plug-In Hybrid
For many business users, the Ford Transit Connect Plug-In Hybrid is the ideal work partner. You can drive for up to 73 miles on electric power alone, so it’s clean around town, yet you have a 1.5-litre Ecoboost petrol engine to take you on those longer trips.
The smooth six-speed automatic gearbox takes the stress out of congested city driving, while the combined 147bhp from the petrol-electric hybrid set-up offers zippy performance.
A generous cargo area can cope with up to 3.1 cubic metres of load in the short-wheelbase model or as much as 3.7 cubic metres in the longer version. Add in a maximum payload of 728kg, and this is a small van that lends a big hand when you’re working.
3. Ford Transit EcoBlue Hybrid
If you need a large van, there are few to rival the Ford Transit – and it’s available with mild-hybrid power. This is allied to the 2.0-litre turbodiesel, and the hybrid assistance comes in the form of stop-start tech so the engine switches off sooner and restarts faster. It has regenerative braking to recoup energy as the van slows.
Ford says all of this is enough to save three percent on fuel economy in normal driving, and as much as eight percent in the city. That’s useful, but it will take around 80,000 miles of driving to claw back the added cost of this mild-hybrid model over the non-hybrid diesel version.
4. Ford Ranger Plug-In Hybrid
Ford is the first manufacturer in the UK to offer a plug-in hybrid pick-up, with its Ranger Plug-In Hybrid. It looks virtually identical to the rest of the excellent Ranger line-up, with only the extra flap in the left-hand flank where you hook up to a charger to give the game away.
There’s no compromise in choosing the Ranger PHEV, because it can haul a trailer of up to 3.5 tonnes and carry as much as 1000kg in the load bed. All this, and you still get the versatility of four-wheel drive. You can also choose the EV mode, which will take you up to 23 miles on battery power, or you can mix and match this with power from the 2.3-litre petrol engine.
5. LEVC VN5
If the LEVC VN5 looks familiar, that’s because it’s based on the company’s black cab taxi. In VN5 form, you get an electric commercial vehicle with a petrol range-extender motor. This means the LEVC always runs on electric power, but you have the back-up of the petrol engine to recharge the battery on the move.
Where the taxi model carries its passengers, LEVC has changed the rear design to become a van with similar capacity to a Ford Transit Custom. There’s a sliding side door and twin side-hinged rear doors for easy access. The VN5 comes with plenty of standard equipment to make the cab a pleasant place to work from, with heated windscreen, climate control, nine-inch touchscreen for the infotainment, and seats with adjustable lumbar support.
6. Toyota Corolla Commercial
You’ll need to look twice to recognise the Toyota Corolla Commercial as a van. It appears much like the Corolla Touring Sports, but the blacked-out rear windows are the clue this is a Corolla to help you at work. With no rear seats, you get a long, flat load floor covered in a hard-wearing rubber mat. There’s also a half bulkhead with a wire mesh upper, to keep loads from sliding into the front compartment.
Access to the load area is through the Corolla’s usual tailgate and rear side doors. Up front, it’s much like any other Corolla, with the same dash, infotainment and comfort. The Corolla Commercial also offers a 465kg maximum payload. As a self-charging hybrid, the Toyota has a combined fuel economy claimed at 51.1mpg.
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