International Van of the Year 2027: The Finalists, Judging Criteria and Previous Winners

The shortlist for International Van of the Year 2027 has been announced, bringing together some familiar European names alongside a growing number of challengers from Asia.

At first glance, another automotive awards shortlist might not sound particularly exciting. But International Van of the Year, or IVOTY, is worth paying attention to because the judging goes much deeper than simply deciding which new van looks best or has the most impressive specification sheet.

Efficiency, safety, sustainability, technology and ultimately how well a vehicle performs the job it was designed to do all play a part.

This year's shortlist is particularly interesting because it demonstrates just how quickly the commercial vehicle market is changing.

International Van of the Year 2027 shortlist

The six finalist entries are:

• Farizon V7E
• Hyundai Staria Electric
• Maxus Deliver 7
• Renault Trafic E-Tech
• Stellantis Pro One compact van range, comprising the Citroën Berlingo First, Fiat Professional Doblò EasyPro, Vauxhall Combo Start and Peugeot Partner Active
• Volkswagen Caddy Cargo

Because several Stellantis vans share their engineering, they are considered as one entry under IVOTY rules rather than competing individually.

That means the shortlist technically represents nine different van models, but six entries in the final competition. The official IVOTY rules specifically state that co-designed or badge-engineered vehicles are treated as a single entry during voting.

The winner will be revealed at the Night of the Stars gala during IAA Transportation in Hanover on 14 September 2026, marking the 35th running of the International Van of the Year award.

What is International Van of the Year?

International Van of the Year was established in 1992 and is decided by specialist commercial vehicle journalists representing countries across Europe.

For the 2027 award, a jury of 26 commercial vehicle journalists will ultimately decide which van takes the title.

Importantly, manufacturers don't simply pay to enter their latest product into the competition.

Under the official rules, eligible vehicles are automatically considered provided they meet a number of requirements.

The fundamental principle is that the vehicle should contribute towards higher standards of efficiency, safety, environmental performance and sustainable transportation of light goods by road.

It makes IVOTY rather different from an award based primarily on design, price or outright performance.

A van needs to make a meaningful contribution to the industry.

What does a van need to do to qualify?

There are some fairly strict rules around which vehicles can be considered.

An eligible van must be a purpose-built light commercial vehicle with a gross vehicle weight of up to 3,500kg.

It also needs to be genuinely new.

A manufacturer cannot simply change the headlights, install a larger touchscreen and call its existing van a new model. IVOTY specifically requires considerable technological improvements over the previous generation, while a minor facelift isn't enough to qualify.

The vehicle should also:

• Be in series production by the end of the relevant calendar year
• Be sold in at least 12 countries represented within the IVOTY jury
• Contain significant technological advancement
• Be made available for jury members to drive and assess before voting

Judges are expected to drive eligible vehicles and, where possible, gain an understanding of how they work with actual commercial operators.

That last point is important.

A van can be packed with clever technology, but commercial vehicles ultimately exist to work. Payload, load accessibility, operating costs, practicality, efficiency, comfort and downtime can potentially matter far more to an operator than the size of the infotainment screen.

How does International Van of the Year voting work?

The voting system is also more structured than you might expect.

Each member of the jury receives 12 points to distribute between the nominated vans, but no more than seven points can be given to a single vehicle.

Judges aren't even required to use all 12 points, although they must explain their reasoning when submitting their vote.

If more than six eligible vans are launched during the year, IVOTY can use a two-stage voting process to create the final shortlist.

The final result is independently adjudicated.

So while there will inevitably always be an element of personal judgement involved, winning IVOTY requires support from commercial vehicle specialists across multiple European markets.

Previous International Van of the Year winners

Looking back at the most recent winners also tells us quite a lot about how the van market has changed.

Electrification is clearly becoming increasingly important.

The Ford Transit Custom Hybrid range won in 2020 before the jointly developed PSA electric vans took the title in 2021. Volkswagen's fully electric ID. Buzz Cargo won for 2023, while Kia's purpose-built electric PV5 took the 2026 trophy.

That doesn't mean IVOTY has become an award exclusively for electric vans.

The combustion-powered versions of the Renault Kangoo Van and Mercedes-Benz Citan shared the award in 2022, while the latest Ford Transit Custom range won for 2024 and the Renault Master followed for 2025.

Instead, the results demonstrate that innovation matters more than simply fitting a battery.

The Kia PV5 changed things

Last year's result was particularly significant.

The Kia PV5 became International Van of the Year 2026, making Kia a first-time winner and bringing a South Korean manufacturer onto the trophy for the first time.

Even more impressively, the decision was unanimous amongst the 26-member jury.

I've now driven the PV5 myself and came away genuinely impressed by just how car-like it feels from behind the wheel. It's a good example of why judging a commercial vehicle involves more than looking at range, payload and load volume on a spreadsheet.

Read my recent review of the Kia PV5 Cargo > 

Perhaps even more relevant to this year's competition was what happened behind Kia.

Chinese commercial vehicle manufacturer Farizon finished second with the electric SV, ahead of the Ford E-Transit Courier in third.

For 2027, Farizon is back.

Could an Asian manufacturer win for a second year?

This is where the 2027 shortlist becomes particularly interesting.

For decades the European van market has been dominated by familiar manufacturers including Ford, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Renault, Citroën, Peugeot and Fiat.

Those brands aren't disappearing, but they're now facing competition from manufacturers that European van buyers may barely have considered a few years ago.

Farizon represents China on the 2027 shortlist, while Maxus, owned by China's SAIC Motor, is also in contention. Hyundai brings another South Korean manufacturer into the competition after sister company Kia's victory last year.

Meanwhile Renault, Volkswagen and the Stellantis brands ensure Europe's traditional van manufacturers remain very much in the fight.

This isn't simply about where the manufacturers come from, either.

Increasing competition means manufacturers are having to work harder on everything from driving range and efficiency to cabin technology, safety, payload, servicing, warranties and ultimately price.

For van operators, that competition should be a very good thing.

Renault certainly shouldn't be underestimated

If history matters, Renault is one manufacturer worth watching closely.

The company won the 2025 award with the fourth-generation Master, while previous Renault winners have included the Master in 1998, Trafic in 2002 and Kangoo Z.E. in 2012. The Kangoo Van then shared the 2022 award with the Mercedes-Benz Citan.

The 2025 Renault Master victory represented the fifth time a Renault Group van had secured the award.

Now the Renault Trafic E-Tech has the opportunity to add another trophy.

Volkswagen has considerable IVOTY history too, including victory with the electric ID. Buzz Cargo in 2023, while its updated Caddy Cargo represents the German manufacturer this time around.

Electric vans dominate the conversation

Another thing that's difficult to ignore is electrification.

The majority of the 2027 contenders offer zero-emission solutions, reflecting just how quickly electric technology has moved from being an unusual alternative in the commercial vehicle world to becoming a core part of manufacturers' strategies.

That transition isn't without its challenges.

Businesses don't buy vans simply because they're new or environmentally friendly. A commercial vehicle has to make financial and operational sense.

Range has to work. Charging has to work. Payload has to work. The vehicle needs to be available when the business needs it and, perhaps most importantly, the numbers need to add up.

That's why an award judged around efficiency and the sustainable movement of goods rather than purely which vehicle has the longest electric range becomes particularly relevant.

Which van will win International Van of the Year 2027?

There are some fascinating contenders.

Farizon will undoubtedly be hoping to go one better after finishing second with the SV last year. Hyundai has an opportunity to continue South Korea's momentum following Kia's historic victory, while Maxus demonstrates how established Chinese-owned commercial vehicle manufacturers are becoming in Europe.

Then you have Renault's considerable history in the competition, Volkswagen's proven commercial vehicle credentials and the enormous scale and experience behind Stellantis Pro One.

I'm not going to call a winner just yet.

What the shortlist does show, however, is that the commercial vehicle market is changing rapidly.

Ten years ago, seeing Chinese and South Korean manufacturers fighting established European brands for one of the industry's biggest awards would have felt far more unusual.

Today, it's simply the reality of an increasingly competitive global van market.

And after Kia broke new ground with the PV5 in 2026, the big question for September is whether one of Europe's established manufacturers can take the trophy back, or whether International Van of the Year will head to Asia for a second consecutive year.

We'll find out on 14 September 2026.