The shortlist for the International Van of the Year 2026 (IVOTY) award is now out, revealing the candidates vying for the global LCV sector’s top prize.

New brands from China and South Korea compete with European marques

The list for this year’s awards, now in their 34^th year, shows the changing face of the van sector, with new light commercial vehicle brands from China and South Korea competing with traditional European brands.

Newcomers from Asia, namely China’s Farizon with its SV electric van and South Korea’s Kia with its new PV5 eLCV, contest finalists from Ford and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.

On the Ford Pro side, challengers include the new E-Transit Courier, the Transit Connect PHEV and the latest uprated E-Transit (Long Range), while Volkswagen has its ICE and electric versions of the new Transporter (T7) listed along with the upgraded Crafter, which is jointly nominated with the MAN TGE (MY2025).

2026 IVOTY Candidates

• Farizon SV
• Ford E-Transit Courier
• Ford E-Transit (Long Range)
• Ford Transit Connect PHEV
• Kia PV5
• Volkswagen Transporter / Volkswagen E-Transporter
• Volkswagen Crafter / MAN TGE

Jarlath Sweeney, chairman, IVOTY, said: “We’re in a very interesting period in our sector, with new players coming into the marketplace, with fresh thinking, creating new segments, and offering new solutions, all with emission-free technologies.”

He went on: “To have them in the contest alongside household names in the trade makes our job when voting even more difficult.”

The awards assess vans for efficiency, safety, sustainability and environmental standards. To be eligible, the vehicle must be new, in series production by the end of the year in which it receives the award, and present a significant technological innovation.

The election process is adjudicated independently.

The official announcement and presentation of both the IVOTY 2026 and the International Pick-up Award 2026 trophies will take place at the Solutrans 2025 show at EurExpo, Lyon, France on Wednesday 19 November.