Best Small Trades Van – Citroen Berlingo 1.6HDi L1 Enterprise 75bhp

THE Citroen Berlingo has been one of the mainstays of Great Britain plc since its launch in 1995 and was voted Van of the Year this year in addition to winning this trophy. At its launch it was the first small LCV to be built as a van from the nuts and bolts upwards and ushered in a whole new era of practicality in the small van market.

There are any number of reasons why the Berlingo has remained so popular after 20 years or so on the roads – low front-end price, excellent ride and handling, fuel-efficient engines, rock-solid residual values – the list goes on and on.

The range includes a unique selection of models, with a choice of efficient full-electric, petrol, diesel and diesel micro-hybrid drivetrains.
Berlingos are available with a factory-built choice of L1 and L2 panel vans, five-seat crew vans, enhanced traction vans and platform cabs for special bodywork. The Berlingo panel van is also the only one in its sector which is supplied as standard with Teletrac Smartnav satellite navigation and Trackstar stolen vehicle tracking.

But whichever model is chosen, buyers are guaranteed a great looking vehicle that is both comfortable and pleasant to drive. Don’t forget too, that the Berlingo now comes with ESP,which helps prevent sideways skids, as a standard fitment, adding to this van’s safety credentials.

In the first three quarters of this year, the Berlingo showed a year-on-year sales growth of 14% to 12,283 in the UK.  This popular model delivered one of its best-ever sales results in 2014, reflecting its appeal to businesses both large and small.

One of the judges summed up the Berlingo in a very short but apt manner when he gave it his vote. He said: “The Berlingo is well-equipped, green and cheap to run and buy. What more could you want from a van?”