Renault delivers at UK van awards

Two of Renault's Kangoo Van light commercial models were lauded recently at the hotly contested British Business Van of the Year Awards

Two Renault Kangoo Van stablemates have taken out separate titles in Britain’s Business Van of the Year Awards, held recently in Mayfair, London.

The Kangoo Van Z.E. (pictured) scooped the hard-fought ‘Green Van of the Year’ title, while its sibling, the Kangoo Van ML19dCi 75 Stop & Start, was named ‘Best Small Trades Van’.

The awards were hosted by leading small business motoring website Business Van Manager, with over 50 entries spanning 12 categories judged by a panel of five industry experts. Those experts comprised Mark Cartwright, head of vans and LCVs at the Freight Transport Association (FTA); Marcus Puddy, director of commercial vehicles at Lex Autolease; Richard Bunn, director of White Hot Vans; Eddie Parker, fleet LCV consultant at GE Capital Fleet Services; Rod Lloyd, managing director at Low Cost Vans; and chairman Keith Hawes, managing director of Magma Automotive Services.

The Kangoo Van Z.E. fought off stiff competition from Ford and Volkswagen to secure its title. According to Ralph Morton, Business Van Manager's editorial director, the accolade was well deserved.

“What a great electric van this is,” he said. “Although the Renault Kangoo Van Z.E. is limited in its range (106 miles/170km), the van’s overall performance, around-town agility and low running costs make it an excellent choice for small businesses wanting to operate a green van in city environments.”

The Best Small Trades Van category was open to vans under 2.5 tonnes, with the Kangoo Van ML19dCi 75 Stop & Start defeating all comers. Morton said the Kangoo offered a compelling package.

“The small trades van sector is supremely competitive, but the Kangoo wins for us because it’s the best example of how a small trades van can appeal to a wide variety of users in many business sectors,” he said.

Europe's top-selling compact electric van and winner of the the International Van of the Year award in 2012, the Kangoo Van Z.E. offers a carrying capacity of 2.4m³ to 4.6m³ and a payload of 650kg. Renault says the model is easy to charge and requires far less maintenance compared to internal-combustion-engined models, all while producing zero exhaust emissions.

Renault Australia says it will be trialling the Kangoo Van Z.E. in limited numbers through 2014.

Renault delivers at UK van awards

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