If the chunky styling of the Nissan Townstar looks familiar, then it’s because behind the Nissan badge you’re essentially looking at a Renault Kangoo. The Townstar has been available since 2021, and like the Renault is available with both combustion and fully electric variants.
The latter is particularly interesting, having a very competitive electric range - if not quite car-like, then still useful by van standards. The Townstar is also well equipped and good value even when new - and you can save even more by buying used.
Townstar alternatives include the Kangoo itself, plus their other platform-mate, the Mercedes-Benz Citan. Other compact vans in this market include the Citroen Berlingo and Peugeot Partner, the Ford Transit Connect, Vauxhall Combo, and Volkswagen Caddy.
Unusually the Nissan Townstar is not available with a diesel engine, which may deter some potential owners. But for everyone else, this Renault-based Nissan offers a frugal petrol engine and perhaps more pertinently, a fully-electric model that could really bring down your company’s running costs.
Both drivetrains are housed within a smartly-styled and well-equipped van, based on the latest generation of Renault Kangoo that debuted in 2020. The Nissan variant has been around since 2021 and is clearly very similar in most respects, with only small equipment differences and styling touches to differentiate it.
Those equipment levels are not bad at all though, with even the most basic Visia grade getting air conditioning and LED headlights. The cabin is logically laid out and well put together, and it scores well on utility too, with up to 4.3 cubic metres of load area in the L2 (significantly more than the 3.7 cubic metres in the largest VW Caddy Maxi), and 1500kg of towing capacity, though the EV starts with just a 612kg payload (rising to a more useful 846kg in the petrol L2).
It drives well, and the EV especially is of course very refined, but both should be fairly painless to own - Nissan offers a five-year warranty and most will still have the balance of that left at the time of writing, while the available electric model will keep running costs low too.
The Renault Kangoo and similar Mercedes-Benz Citan are obvious alternatives since they’re all basically the same van, but there are other options out there too. The Citroen Berlingo and Peugeot Partner both also come with combustion and EV variants, and while the outgoing Ford Transit Connect is petrol or diesel only, the new Ford Transit Courier may be worth a look with its petrol, diesel, and EV options. The upmarket-feeling Volkswagen Caddy is another van to look at in this segment.
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With two distinctly different powertrains your choices here are fairly defined. You’ll probably already know whether electric power works for you, and if it does the Townstar has a pretty decent range and offers reasonable charging speeds. If it doesn’t, then the frugal 1.3-litre petrol is your only choice.
As you can read about further down, the Townstar’s basic level of equipment isn’t actually that bad by van standards, even if it doesn’t quite match that of a modern supermini. Unless you need the absolute cheapest van though, we reckon Acenta trim is a good starting point, for its extra loading door, touchscreen infotainment, and rear parking sensors.
The Nissan Townstar’s trim levels echo those found across the Nissan range, with the familiar Visia, Acenta and Tekna grades that Nissan has used for more than a decade. While some of Nissan’s vans can look a little low on equipment in lower grades, there’s no such issue here - even the basic Visia gets air conditioning and LED headlights, though you’ll need to step up to Acenta for a touchscreen infotainment system and Tekna+ for alloy wheels, if either are requirements.
The Nissan Townstar’s dimensions are:
The Nissan Townstar’s load capacity is:
Electric variants of the Townstar won’t cost you a penny in VED, but other models are subject to the standard flat rate of van tax, which is £320 per year at the time of writing.
Nissan doesn’t list insurance groups for the Townstar. As such we’d recommend speaking to an insurance broker to hash out a competitive premium appropriate for how you’ll be using the van.