The Ford Transit is known as the “Backbone of Britain”, but really that title should be shared among the dozens of vans that keep the country moving every day - including the Vauxhall Movano, which first debuted in 1998. The latest model is based on the Fiat Ducato and has been on sale since 2021.
It’s got one of the widest ranges of available body shapes and styles of any van on the market, and the sheer variety means that if another van isn’t quite meeting your needs, a Movano might - but if all you need is a simple panel van, a used Movano really isn’t a bad choice there either.
The aforementioned Ford Transit is a key Movano rival, as is the Renault Master, on which the old Movano was based. The Fiat Ducato, Peugeot Boxer and Citroen Relay are all similar to the Movano, while the Volkswagen Crafter and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter are two more you might consider.
You’ll spot two notably different Vauxhall Movanos on the used market. Prior to 2021, the Vauxhall was effectively a rebadged Renault Master, as it had been since the original Movano debuted in 1998, while since 2021, when Vauxhall became part of the Stellantis empire alongside brands like Peugeot and Fiat, the van has been instead based on the Fiat Ducato.
That’s the model we’re covering here, but there’s no reason to steer clear of the older Renault-based models. Like the Master they’re based on, it offers some truly enormous carrying capacities depending on the body style, and post-2019 models in particular are worth a look, when a facelift added several safety features and included a rear-view camera system to help with reversing manoeuvres.
The latest Movano though is a sharper-looking van on the outside and the cabin has a more modern design - while there’s still an enormous range of body styles. We’re concentrating on the panel vans (available in four lengths and three heights), but the Movano range includes everything from crew cabs, chassis cabs and platform cabs, to tippers, curtainsides, dropsides, and Luton vans. If you can’t find something in there that suits your needs, then you probably need an HGV licence…
The Movano’s engines make good power and torque and while the manual is a perfectly decent gearbox, the automatic is also very good. Some vans ride more smoothly - including the older Movano - but the light steering makes easy work of urban environments in particular. The touchscreen system is good, and the Movano is offered with a larger 10-inch unit too, which you may find on some used vans.
You have plenty of choice in this van market, not just from obvious rivals like the Ford Transit and the Renault Master to which the Movano used to be related, but also the Movano’s in-house equivalents, the Fiat Ducato, Peugeot Boxer, and Citroen Relay. The latter trio differ mainly in details from the Movano but are otherwise very similar.
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As ever with a van the best used Vauxhall Movano to buy will depend very much on what you require it for, though the vast range of models available means you shouldn’t need to search too hard for something that suits you. The least powerful engine is offered only in the smaller, lighter body styles, so should be up to the job in those models, while the more powerful options give you greater bandwidth of ability with heavier loads.
With only a single trim level that also keeps things nice and simple, and there’s no significant absence in terms of general comfort and convenient features - air conditioning, cruise control, parking sensors, and an infotainment touchscreen cover the basics.
The trim level below refers to the Movano range as it currently stands, so older Movanos may have different standard equipment. Kit shouldn’t vary a great deal between different body styles though, so you’ll enjoy largely the same features in a tipper or Luton van as you would in a panel van.
The Vauxhall Movano’s dimensions are:
The Vauxhall Movano’s load capacity is:
Vans are currently charged a flat rate of VED or ‘road tax’, on a different scale from cars. It’s currently set at £320 per year for the 2023/2024 tax year, though like the Ducato and some rivals, the Movano has heavy-duty variants that are actually a little cheaper, at £165 per year. If you find a Movano Electric, then just like electric passenger cars, these are currently free to tax.
As with many vans, the sheer number of variants on offer means that, along with your own use case, we would recommend speaking to a broker to find a competitive insurance quote.
Read our full Vauxhall Movano review