The commercial vans with the highest payload in Australia

When it comes to hauling a heavy load around, not all vans are created equal.

While cargo volume is important to consider for the physical size of the items you’re carrying, payload is a critical measurement that’ll tell you how much weight you can load before your van starts to run into problems.

If your work has you shifting heavy cargo often, how can you know which van will be able to carry the most weight comfortably?

To figure that out, we’ve combined the ‘vans less than 2.5 tonnes’ and ‘vans between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes’ categories on the VFACTS sales charts and compared them based on their best payload figure.

Almost every manufacturer on this list quotes a payload specification, with the exception being Toyota. Payload can be calculated by subtracting a vehicle’s kerb weight from its gross vehicle mass (GVM), so we were able to work out figures for the HiAce using that method.

All vans in the segment currently on sale in Australia have been included, which means there’s a variety of powertrains and drivetrains – including electric.

We’ve only listed the individual variant of each van with the highest payload rating below, but the full lineup of each model has been detailed throughout the article.

Click on a car’s name above to jump directly to its information on the page, or continue scrolling for the full list.

Peugeot Expert

Leading the way is the Peugeot Expert, which in its cheapest variant has a payload of 1433kg.

That variant is the short-wheelbase City manual, which costs $43,397 before on-roads. A limitation is the fact it has the lowest braked towing capacity of the Expert lineup at 1500kg, while it’s also the lightest at 1622kg.

The highest towing capacity is offered with the short-wheelbase Pro and Premium models, which are both rated at 2165kg. These models sacrifice payload with a shared quoted figure of 1036kg, and they cost $47,849 and $51,039 before on-roads respectively.

There are also three long-wheelbase versions with payloads of between 1350kg and 1400kg, which is still comparatively high against most of the other vans on this list.

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LDV V80

LDV’s V80 is the final van on this list to surpass a 1400kg payload, with its long-wheelbase Mid Roof automated-manual variant boasting 1419kg.

That variant will set you back $44,200 drive-away, while the most expensive version is the long-wheelbase High Roof with a reduced payload. It costs an increased $46,306 drive-away and is the heaviest V80 available at 2111kg.

The two short-wheelbase options share a 1204kg payload, while the whole range offers a braked towing capacity of 1200kg. For $36,831 drive-away, the base manual variant is the cheapest van here.

Both short-wheelbase V80s slip under two tonnes. The non-manual options are fitted with an automated-manual transmission – a unique addition both on this list, and the new car market.

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LDV eDeliver 7

The first electric van on this list is the LDV eDeliver 7, which offers a payload of 1350kg in its cheapest variant.

LDV’s eDeliver 7 range starts at $67,358 drive-away for the short-wheelbase Low Roof variant, and extends to $74,674 drive-away for the long-wheelbase High Roof. That places it among the more expensive vans on this list.

At a maximum of nearly 2.5 tonnes it’s also the second-heaviest van here, though its most expensive version has a reduced payload of 1175kg.

The range is offered with either 77kWh or 88kWh batteries, while LDV quotes a braked towing capacity of 1500kg for all variants.

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Renault Trafic

The Renault Trafic is sold here in eight variants, and it’s the cheapest long-wheelbase version that has the highest payload at 1279kg.

That variant is the long-wheelbase Pro manual, which is priced at $51,000 before on-roads. It matches the short-wheelbase manual for braked towing capacity of 2500kg, though it weighs slightly more and is $2000 more expensive.

All standard van variants of the Trafic vary in payload by less than 50kg, but it’s the two crew van versions that lag behind. They’re priced at the top of the range and cost $58,000 and $63,000 before on-roads, with payloads of either 1053kg or 1079kg.

They’re also the only Trafic vans to weigh more than 1800kg, though the range-topping long-wheelbase Crew Lifestyle is among the lowest for braked towing capacity at 1630kg.

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Ford Transit Custom

The Ford Transit Custom rounds out the top five on this list, and its range-opening short-wheelbase Trend has a payload of 1255kg.

The Trend SWB is priced at $55,990 before on-roads, but for $1000 more you can go for the long-wheelbase Trend instead which has a reduced payload of 1014kg and weighs slightly more.

Sport variants start at $59,990 before on-road costs, and the SWB version matches the Trend LWB for payload. Opting for the double cab version slashes payload to 743kg, and it has a kerb weight that is around 100kg heavier.

All Transit Custom variants have a maximum braked towing capacity of 2500kg, and an automatic transmission is standard across the range.

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Volkswagen Transporter

Volkswagen offers the most van variants of any manufacturer on this list, with 15 available for its Transporter. Of that range, the short-wheelbase TDI340 fitted with a six-speed manual has the highest payload at 1220kg.

It’s priced at $45,790 before on-road costs, and matches the rest of the Transporter range with a braked towing capacity of 2500kg.

The cheapest Transporter costs $42,790 before on-roads, though its payload is reduced to 1051kg. It’s also the lightest of the range at 1749kg, and has a five-speed manual with front-wheel drive.

Of the 4Motion offerings it’s the short-wheelbase TDI340 with the highest payload at 1083kg, while the Crewvans are headed by another version the short-wheelbase TDI340 at 1042kg. The 4Motion version of the TDI340 Crewvan is the heaviest of the range, with a tare mass of 2074kg.

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Toyota HiAce

Toyota’s ever-popular HiAce has a maximum payload of 1135kg, but only in its super long-wheelbase van variant.

That variant costs $59,446 before on-roads, and despite its increased size it’s only 15kg heavier than the most expensive long-wheelbase HiAce.

The standard long-wheelbase range tops out at the Crew Van, which is priced at $53,886 before on-roads but has the range’s lowest payload at 950kg.

All variants have a braked towing capacity of 1500kg, except the range-opening manual van which is rated at 1900kg. That version costs $48,886 before on-roads and is the second-heaviest long-wheelbase HiAce at 2190kg.

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LDV G10

There are only three variants of the G10 available, and it’s the petrol version with the highest payload at 1093kg.

That version is one of the two G10+ automatics, which costs $37,884 drive-away. It’s the lightest of the range with a tare mass of 1915kg, but it also has the lowest braked towing capacity at exactly one tonne.

The manual G10+ is fitted with a diesel engine and costs $37,358 drive-away, though its payload is reduced to 1015kg. Like the other diesel G10, it has a braked towing capacity of 1500kg.

You can also purchase an automatic diesel G10+, which has a 1010kg payload and weighs 2010kg. It costs $39,463 before on-roads.

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Hyundai Staria Load

Hyundai’s Staria Load is available in three configurations, with the five-seat crew van offering a payload of 1089kg.

It’s priced at $50,640 before on-roads, around $4000 more expensive than the range-opening two-seat van. The cheaper variant has a payload of 1018kg, and like the other two-seat version it weighs 1948kg.

The other two-seater is the Premium grade, which has a payload of 1072kg. It costs $51,740 before on-roads, and like the rest of the range has a braked towing capacity of 2500kg.

The five-seat crew van tips the scales at more than two tonnes, and no manual options are available across the Staria Load range.

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Mercedes-Benz Vito

The Vito is the most expensive internal-combustion engined van on this list, and its cheapest variant has a payload of 1083kg.

That variant is the medium-wheelbase 116 CDI, which is the lightest of the Vito range at 1917kg and kicks off at $64,480 before on-roads. Like all diesel Vito models, it has a braked towing capacity of 2500kg.

It’s only the non-Crew Cab versions of the Vito with a payload above one tonne. Crew Cab variants, meanwhile, all have a payload of 850kg or less, with the cheapest version priced at $67,002 before on-roads.

The range reaches as high as $81,399 before on-roads for the long-wheelbase 119CDI Crew Cab, which has a payload of 807kg. It’s also the heaviest diesel Vito with a tare mass of 2169kg.

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Peugeot E-Expert

The first of two electric Peugeot vans on this list is the E-Expert, which ranks higher with a payload of 1001kg.

It’s only available in one Pro Long variant, which costs $79,990 before on-roads. It has a braked towing capacity of exactly one tonne, and a kerb weight of 2043kg.

The E-Expert is significantly more expensive than its internal combustion counterpart, while also being heavier and offering a reduced payload capacity.

It’s also the first electric van since the eDeliver 7 on this list, offering a payload that’s around 400kg less.

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Peugeot Partner

Peugeot’s Partner is much cheaper than the E-Expert, while only being slightly down on payload at 998kg.

Of the four-van range it’s the two long-wheelbase versions with a 998kg payload, which are the Pro and Premium. They’re priced at $42,990 and $45,990 before on-roads respectively.

They both have a braked towing capacity of 950kg, while weighing in at 1385kg. The other two options are the Pro and Premium short-wheelbase vans, which also share specifications.

The whole Partner range opens with the Pro at $39,990 before on-roads, with the Premium priced at $42,990 before on-roads. They both offer an 896kg payload, 900kg braked towing capacity, and a tare mass of 1283kg.

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Mercedes-Benz eVito

The eVito is the most expensive van on this list and has a payload of 882kg.

At $91,051 before on-roads, the medium-wheelbase eVito 112 is nearly $10,000 more expensive than the next priciest van.

Mercedes-Benz doesn’t quote a braked towing capacity for the sole eVito available, though it has the heaviest quoted tare mass of any van on this list at almost three tonnes.

For context, the next-heaviest van here is the LDV eDeliver 7, which is also electric and weighs 2475kg.

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Peugeot E-Partner

The E-Partner makes it two electric vans in a row, and its sole variant has a payload of 835kg.

That variant is long-wheelbase Pro, which is priced at $59,990 before on-roads. It has the lowest braked towing capacity of any van here at just 750kg, though it remains relatively light at 1632kg.

It also doesn’t trail too far behind its internal combustion counterpart, which has a minimum payload of 896kg and is less than 300kg lighter.

The E-Partner is also cheaper than many internal combustion vans on this list, while being $15,000 more expensive than the priciest standard Partner.

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Volkswagen Caddy

Much like the Transporter, Volkswagen’s Caddy has a plethora of variants and offers a maximum payload of 746kg.

You’ll achieve that figure in the manual TSI220 Maxi, which is priced at $42,990 before on-roads – $2000 more than the range-opening model. It has the lowest braked towing capacity of the Caddy range, matching two other variants with a rating of 1400kg.

The cheapest automatic Caddy is the short-wheelbase TSI220, which has a payload of 717kg. It matches most other Caddy models with a braked towing capacity of 1500kg, and costs $43,990 before on-roads.

Volkswagen’s Caddy range extends to the long-wheelbase TDI320 auto, priced at $52,090 before on-roads. It has the second-highest payload of the closely-matched Caddy range at 748kg, but is the heaviest at 1700kg.

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Renault Kangoo

Two Kangoo vans close out this list, and the better of the two is the internal-combustion version with a payload of 756kg.

It’s the most expensive version with that payload figure, which is the long-wheelbase automatic for $43,990 before on-roads. That variant is also the heaviest of the range at 1516kg.

At the bottom of the lineup is the short-wheelbase manual, which has a payload of just 548kg. It weighs 1394kg, and costs $38,990 before on-roads.

In the middle of the road is the short-wheelbase automatic, which costs $41,990 before on-roads, has a payload of 591kg, and weighs 1419kg. All three vans have a braked towing capacity of 1500kg.

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Renault Kangoo E-Tech

Last on the list is the Kangoo’s electric sibling, which has a maximum payload of 668kg.

The long-wheelbase version is the one with that payload figure, which costs $63,990 before on-roads and weighs 1822kg.

Meanwhile, the cheaper short-wheelbase variant offers the smallest payload of the lot at 523kg, and costs $61,990 before on-roads. It weighs 1707kg, and shares a braked towing capacity of 1500kg with all its other siblings.

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