Renault Trafic Review

It‘s been a very long time since Renault had a bestseller in the medium panel van market in the UK. In fact, you’d have to cast your eyes all the way back to 2016 to find the Trafic even among the yearly bestsellers. And even then it was still behind key rivals, like the Volkswagen Transporter, Ford Transit Custom and Vauxhall Vivaro.

Given its mixed fortunes, it’s perhaps understandable that Renault gave the Trafic a very extensive overhaul in 2019, just five years after it originally went on sale in 2014.

The looks were revised, and there were important changes under the bonnet, too. The old 1.6 dCi diesel engines were replaced with 2.0-litre dCi units, which use variable geometry turbocharging to develop more power and (more significantly) better low-gear pull under heavy loads. 

The steering and suspension were carried over, meaning that the facelifted Trafic had the same sharp handling and comfortable ride quality as before, although that's since been superseded by plenty of newer, fresher rivals.

The load area of the Trafic remained the same size as before, which means it not as capacious as many rivals: not surprising when it's by no means the largest van of its type. It posts distinctly average figures (that's being kind) for maximum payload, too, so if your business involves hauling lots of weight, you might want to look elsewhere.

Another pretty major update came along in 2023, but in truth, the now-rather-ancient Trafic has undergone almost-constant change in order to try and keep it competitive with newer offerings. Regardless, though, it's not got the all-round ability of many rivals, but to be fair, it's not completely outclassed, either.

Which of the bodystyles you opt for will depend on your business needs. None of the 2.0-litre engines available is lacking in torque, so there's something to be said for simply going for the cheapest one, which is the 130. It's only available with a manual gearbox, though: if you want an automatic, it'll need to be either the 150 or the 170.

In the past, there was an all-electric option offered in the shape of the Renault Trafic E-Tech which had a 120PS motor powered by a 52kWh battery, giving it a range of up to 186 miles according to the WLTP combined cycle. It's now been discontinued, though, so if you want one, you'll have to buy used.

Three trim levels are offered these days (although more have been offered in the past), and for our money, the entry-level Advance trim will have enough for most customers.

Go for entry-level Advance trim, and you'll pay between £37,000 and £42,000, roughly speaking, depending on which powertrain and bodystyle you choose. That's all inclusive of VAT.

Go for an Extra-trimmed version, and price will range from approximately £39,000 to £44,000 depending on engine and bodystyle. Extra Sport versions meanwhile, range between £42,000 and £46,000.

If you fancy the Crew Van version, with its six seats, then prices range between approximately £41,000 and £49,000.

If you're looking for vehicles that are similar to the Trafic, the Nissan Primastar is as similar as it gets, because it's essentially the same van but with some very light styling changes. It was the same case for the older Nissan NV300, the Fiat Talento and the previous-generation versions of the Vauxhall Vivaro. 

After the creation of the huge Stellantis group of brands a few years ago, the Vivaro became a badge-engineered version of the Citroen Dispatch/Peugeot Expert, which is also used as a base for the Fiat Scudo, the replacement for the Talento. 

All of these can be considered rivals to the Trafic, as can the Ford Transit Custom and its close relative, the seventh-generation Volkswagen Transporter. 

The Trafic was once available in two lengths and two heights, but these days, there's only the one height option.

That means the height of the load area is now 1,387mm in all versions, while the width of the loadbay is 1268mm when measured between the wheelarches, or 1,662mm at its widest point.

Choose the shorter L1 version of the Trafic and the loadbay is 2,537mm long, whereas if you choose the longer L2 version, your loadspace is 2,937mm. However, like with many vans this size, the Trafic has a load-through bulkhead that allows you to extend that length into the footwell of the cabin for carrying longer items. Include that, and you can carrying pipes and planks up to 3,750mm long in the L1, or 4,150mm long in the L2.

In terms of overall loadspace capacity, it's 5.8 cubic metres in the L1, and 7.8 cubic metres in the L2.

All versions of the Trafic panel van have a payload of over a tonne, but not by a whole lot. Figures range between 1,043kg and 1,092kg on the L1, and between 1,070kg and 1,093kg on the L2. Most versions have a braked towing weight of 2,500kg, but there are a handful of versions, fitted with the 170PS diesel engine, that are only rated to pull up to 1,900kg.

Compared with rivals, all of these figures are distinctly average, so if it's outright practicality and usefulness you're looking for, then there are better choices.

The Crew Van is even more limited in terms of its cargo-carrying capacity, because obviously, some space has to be sacrificed to accommodate the extra row of seats. The length of the loadbay is reduced to 2,423mm when measured at the floor, but that's only because it extends under the rear seats: measured w bit further up, its length is just 1,819mm. Overall cargo capacity drops to just 4.0 cubic metres, while payloads fall to beneath a tonne: between 943kg and 978kg depending on the version. We've not encountered a Crew Van version, so we can't tell you for sure how those rear seats fare for space.

In the panel van, access to your loadspace is through a sliding door on the left-hand side of the Trafic, or through twin rear doors that open up to 180 degrees. The Crew Van gets a second sliding door on the other side, but these are more for loading passengers rather than cargo.

The driver's seat has both height- and lumbar adjustment as standard, while the steering column has rake- and reach adjustment, so it should be relatively easy for most folk to get comfy at the wheel. Your view of the road ahead is clear thanks to the fact that you look out over the top of most other vehicles, and while the steel bulkhead behind you limits your rear view, all versions come with rear parking sensors and a reversing camera as standard.

Asa we've said, the Trafic can be had in two lengths. The L1 measures 5,102mm long while the L2 is 5,502mm long.

The width of your Trafic will be the same regardless of which version you pick: it's 1,956mm if you don't include the door mirrors, or 2,283mm if you do.

Although there's now ony one roof height available, there is a very marginal difference in overall height between the L1 and L2: the former measures 1,971mm tall while the latter is 1,967mm.

All versions of the Renault Trafic have an 8.0-inch central touchscreen. On entry-level Advance versions, it has all the essentials such as DAB, Bluetooth, and compatibility with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. On the higher-level trims, you also get native sat-nav.

In our experience, neither system is a match for the tech used by Ford and Volkswagen, with blocky graphics and slow screen changes making maps difficult to read when on the move.  

When we spent a week with a Trafic E-Tech, we also had issues with the DAB radio signal, with the van taking some time to actually find it after first starting up. It switching back to FM after every restart was a pain, too. 

A wireless charging pad is available from the options list for £120. 

A van interior needs to be hard-wearing above all else, so it's inevitable that much of the Trafic's cabin places a bigger emphasis on being hardy rather than plush. That being said, the higher-end Extra trim level does have some surprise premium touches, including a large piece of dashboard trim that Renault describes as having a "horizontal grain and chrome detailing". It's actually really nice, and wouldn't look out of place in one of Renault's now-quite-swanky passenger cars. 

Most importantly, everything seems to be screwed together properly, with no obvious build quality issues that we noticed during our time with the van.

Previously available with 1.6 and 2.0-litre diesel engines, the Trafic now only comes with a line-up of 2.0-litre Blue dCi diesel units comprising the 130, 150 and 170. Each name corresponds to the output in PS, while the torque figures for each are 300Nm, 350Nm and 380Nm, respectively. The 130 only comes with a six-speed manual gearbox, the 150 can be specced with either a manual or a nine-speed automatic, while the 170 is exclusively auto. 

The old 1.6 dCi engines were never particularly bad, but only the twin-turbocharged versions ever truly felt up to the task of heavy-duty work. In comparison, the new 2.0 dCi feels more than a match, with only half the turbo power. The entry-level engine is more than sufficient for getting you around at a decent rate, so we can't see much sense in venturing much further up the range, unless you desperately want an automatic, that is.

The Trafic was also previously offered in all-electric E-Tech form. This combined a 52kWh battery pack with a front-mounted motor producing 120PS and 245Nm of torque. This makes it the least potent of all Trafics, but the near-instant nature of the torque delivery means the E-Tech feels pretty brisk off the line. Most importantly, it's easy and relaxing to drive thanks to the smooth, quiet nature of its electric propulsion.

Beyond that initial pep off the line, the E-Tech does start to feel a bit more sluggish on the move, especially compared to some versions of the Ford E-Transit Custom, but it's doubtful Trafic drivers will be crying out for more go. 

One frustration of the E-Tech is it's limited to 68mph. So if you're overtaking someone on the motorway at that speed who decides to speed up ever so slightly, there's not a great deal you can do about it. 

The Trafic E-Tech has a range of up to 186 miles according to the WLTP Combined cycle. We averaged 2.7 miles per kWh during our week-long test of the van, which would give you a range on a full charge of more like 140 miles. We mostly drove the car on dual carriageways and motorways, however, which typically doesn't help EV efficiency. A greater bias towards urban driving should get you closer to the claimed figure.

The Trafic generally rides reasonably well when either empty or with lighter loads of up to around 150kg (we're yet to try one loaded up with any more than that), although speed bumps can feel a little bouncy. At speed, things settle down a bit more. 

Body roll is pretty well contained, and light steering makes the Trafic an easy van to drive around town. We particularly like the high-mounted rear-view camera: it makes life so much easier when reversing, offering a great field of view, if not at the best quality we've ever seen. 

No one buys a van and expects it to be as quiet as a Rolls-Royce, but it is worth noting there are vans that are better in terms of wind- and road noise than the Trafic. The Volkswagen Transporter and its Ford Transit Custom cousin, for example. The Renault isn't too bad for overall refinement, though.

The now-defunct all-electric version, the E-Trafic ,makes for a relaxing experience with its quiet powertrain. You hear a faint whirr, and that's about it. 

The Renault Trafic is rated four stars out of five by safety body Euro NCAP. That's the same score awarded to the Citroen Dispatch and related Stellantis group vans, but behind the five-star rated Ford Transit Custom and Volkswagen Transporter, which are essentially the same thing. 

The safety kit on board has changed a bit throughout the years, but these days, the standard roster includes six airbags, active emergency braking, driver attention alert, lane keep assist, and traffic sign recognition.

The E-Tech's 50kW rapid charging capability is a bit disappointing when a Vauxhall Vivaro Electric manages 100kW, and a Ford E-Transit Custom can do up to 125kW. It means the Renault will take an agonising 50 minutes to take the battery from 15-80%, according to Renault, and you might find it takes a bit longer while faffing around with the button to release the charge cable. It's on the driver's side of the cabin, the opposite side of the charging port. 

That might sound like we're nitpicking, but it's a needless bit of extra hassle when the norm is for EVs to allow for the cable to be released simply by pressing the unlock button on the key fob.

Taking the Trafic E-Tech from 0-100% will take eight hours via a home wallbox, while doing the same from a domestic plug socket will be 32 hours. It's generally not recommended to do so, as along with the agonising charging times, this also might not be good for your home electrical system. 

Either way, based on the average cost of electricity in the UK currently, it'll cost you around £12-13 to fully charge the battery at home, and several times that figure if charging at a public station. If you'll be frequently charging at home, it's worth looking into a variable tariff which is cheaper at certain times of day, particularly overnight, and timing your top-ups to suit. 

The latest 2.0 Blue dCi diesel engines are unsurprisingly more economical than those they replaced a few years ago. Official WLTP figures say that those with a manual gearbox will return up to 42.2mpg, while those with an automatic transmission will return up to 40.9mpg, regardless of power output. In the real world, late-30s should be achievable if you're gentle, although you'll struggle more if your van is permanently loaded up with cargo.

Renault's commercial-vehicle warranty is pretty par-for-the-course in the van world. It's a three-year arrangement, with unlimited-mileage cover in the first two years, and with a limit of up to 100,000 miles in the third year. You get complimentary breakdown cover for the same period. The high-voltage batteries in E-Tech models have a separate warranty lasting eight years and 100,000 miles. 

Again, service intervals are pretty standard in van circles, those being two years or 24,000 miles, whichever happens first.

Accurate information on insurance groups for commercial vehicles is a lot harder to find online than it is for passenger cars for some reason. Information we've seen suggests that groupings range from 25 to 47, but if we're honest, we have no idea whether this information is accurate or not.

While taking away the vehicle excise duty (VED) exemption for electric cars in April 2025, the government did the same for electric vans weighing under 3,500kg. That means you'll need to pay the same £360 yearly sum whether you've bought the diesel Trafic or the electric E-Trafic.