International Van of the Year 2027 shortlist revealed
The race for the 2027 International Van of the Year crown is officially under way, and this year’s shortlist says a great deal about where the light-commercial sector is heading: electric vans are no longer the alternative story, they are the main event.
Nine contenders have made the cut, with the winner set to be chosen by a jury of 26 commercial-vehicle journalists from across Europe. It’s the 35th anniversary of the award, which has become one of the industry’s most closely watched barometers of innovation, usefulness and, crucially, whether a van actually makes life easier for the people who buy and drive them. (iaa-transportation.com)
The shortlist spans Europe, China and South Korea, reflecting how global the van market has become. It also underlines the accelerating shift towards zero-emission transport, with most of the finalists either fully electric or positioned around electrified powertrains. The award is open to any purpose-built light commercial vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight, so the field is broad enough to reward both old-school practicality and fresh thinking. (iaa-transportation.com)
The nine finalists are:
- Farizon V7E
- Hyundai Staria Electric
- Maxus Deliver 7
- Renault Trafic E-Tech
- Citroën Berlingo Van First
- Fiat Professional Doblò EasyPro
- Opel Combo Start
- Peugeot Partner Active
- Volkswagen Caddy Cargo (iaa-transportation.com)
If that list feels familiar in places, there’s a reason. Four of the shortlisted compact vans — Citroën Berlingo Van First, Fiat Professional Doblò EasyPro, Opel Combo Start and Peugeot Partner Active — are closely related under the skin and will be considered collectively through Stellantis Pro One. In other words, this is less a contest between completely different machines and more a head-to-head between packaging, pricing, efficiency and how cleverly each brand has tuned a shared formula. (iaa-transportation.com)
The Renault Trafic E-Tech is one of the more intriguing finalists. Renault’s electric mid-size van is already being talked about as a serious future player, with official industry material indicating production is due to begin in late 2026 at Sandouville. It also ties into Renault’s wider Flexis-led electric van strategy, which suggests this is not just a one-off model but part of a bigger commercial-vehicle reset. (iaa-transportation.com)
That matters, because the IVOTY jury does not hand out the trophy for good intentions or bold styling alone. According to chairman Jarlath Sweeney, the key criteria are efficiency, safety and sustainability in light-goods transport. In plain English: can the van do the job well, do it cleanly, and do it without making the driver feel like they’ve been condemned to punishment detail. (iaa-transportation.com)
The current shortlist also tells a broader industry story. Electrification is now the default development path for light vans, but the presence of established nameplates alongside newcomers shows the market is still searching for the winning formula. Some brands are arriving with dedicated EV platforms, others are evolving existing models, and a few are still balancing combustion, hybrid and electric offerings as they transition. That mix should make the final vote more interesting than a simple EV popularity contest. (iaa-transportation.com)
For Renault, there is precedent to build on. The brand’s Master E-Tech won International Van of the Year 2025, which means the Trafic E-Tech enters this contest with a decent bit of momentum behind it. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is also in the frame again with the updated Caddy Cargo, while Maxus brings the Deliver 7 into the conversation and Hyundai’s Staria Electric adds another distinctly different take on what a modern van can be. (iaa-transportation.com)
The winner will be announced at the Night of the Stars gala during the IAA Transportation exhibition on 14 September 2026. Until then, the shortlist gives us a fairly clear picture of the van market in 2026: more electricity, more platform sharing, more global competition, and less patience for a commercial vehicle that isn’t genuinely good at the boring stuff. Which, as every van buyer knows, is exactly where the real battle is won. (iaa-transportation.com)
