Citroën Berlingo: The UK’s favourite small van

The Berlingo Van has been Britain’s best-selling small van of the 2020s so far, and Citroën looks set to keep on truckin’ with its hometown hero LCV.

Since the days of the iconic 2CV van, Citroën has been a big presence in the small van world, and the UK manufactured Berlingo van is currently leading the charge for the French automotive giants.

Small van sales: to the moon

The roaring twenties roll on for LCVs as the latest figures expect the UK’s new van market to grow by 3.3% this year, up to 353,000 units — that’s the equivalent of just over 1 van for every spectator at last years’ Indy 500, for context… sort of. Within this boom, small vans saw the largest increase in April ’24 compared to last year, with a substantial 41.1% registration uptick.

Topping small van sales charts since 2020 like a Taylor Swift single, with 50,043 units sold, the Berlingo outpaced its closest competition, the Ford Transit Connect, by roughly 4,000 units, and left the Peugeot Partner in the dust. Keeping this momentum going with 4,870 sales YTD, the Berlingo looks set to maintain its spot as the UK’s best-selling little LCV.

As is now standard within Citroën’s LCV range, from the tiny Ami Cargo to the versatile Dispatch, or the spacious Relay, an all-electric ë-Berlingo is also available. However, with demand for EVs down 42.4% against last year, and market outlooks already being revised downwards by over 1% since the start of 2024, the electric model looks unlikely to contribute meaningfully to the Berlingo’s short term success. 

Investing in the future.

Alright, alright, we hear you. Enough with the market facts and figures. So, what has Citroën got up its sleeve to keep the good times coming for the Berlingo?

Swept up in the extensive facelifts across the Stellantis van range, the 2024 Berlingo now has a fresh look, easily identified by the pretty new stamp on the front, harking back to the oval-shaped deux chevrons first seen in 1919. 

This revamp goes beyond aesthetics; already known for its easy driving and light steering, configuring a comfortable cabin to match now seems to be a priority. Whether you opt for two or three up front, you won’t just be getting any old chairs, you’ll be getting ‘Advanced Comfort seats’. Featuring special lateral supports cushioned with ‘high-quality’ foam, then wrapped in premium fabric, these should have you set for long days behind the wheel, be it site hopping or making deliveries.

Facing this fancy foam perch is a new dashboard, featuring a 10" infotainment touchscreen with voice controls, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and optional wireless phone charger.

For those who spend extended time behind the wheel on the daily, Citroën has looked to reduce the driver’s workload within this padded interior. Blind-spots beware, as the Berlingo’s ‘Dynamic Surround Vision’ system projects multiple camera feeds onto the digital rear view mirror, providing a view of the surroundings — ideal for pulling up to tight city deliveries we reckon. Add onto that the adaptive cruise control with road sign reading, lane assist, auto-emergency braking, and pedestrian and cyclist detection… you can’t quite kick your feet up just yet, but it’s getting close.

Driving the market.

Let’s talk engines. Likely aware that the professional world might not be quite ready for electric vans en masse, the Berlingo’s ICE options extend to six-speed manual petrol and diesel powertrains, as well as an eight-speed automatic diesel.

That said, the ë-Berlingo’s 100kw powertrain does deliver a handy 136 bhp (6 more ponies than the largest diesel option) using its new 52 kwh battery, and has a range of up to 205 miles. Plus, it'll get you 20% further than the previous model. However, if you can’t find a 100kw public charger, to charge you from 0-80% in 30 minutes, you may need this additional range to get back to your 7.4kw or 11kw wallbox for a longer charge. 

The Berlingo brings an impressive 4.4m³ capacity to the table, one-upping the award winning Renault Kangoo and matching the expansive Toyota Proace City, as well as a 1-tonne payload (780 kg for the heavier batteried ë-Berlingo).

The new Berlingo van is competitively priced from £19,255 (ex. VAT), with the ë-Berlingo adding around £6,000 on top of that. But does this supply meet your small van demands, and has this facelift done enough to reinforce Citroën’s top spot? Let us know what you think.

Hero image credit: Stellantis