As a tradesperson, have you ever had the frustrating experience of not having enough space to store your lunchtime bait in your van? From roadmaps to notepads, the cabin of your van can fill up quickly – not leaving a lot of room for your lunchtime ham and cheese sandwich, a packet of crisps and bottle of pop.
Not to worry, Vanarama has you covered. We’ve carried out extensive research to find out which of our vans have the best food and drink cabin storage, saving you the hassle of creatively balancing your midday bite on different parts of the interior.
Let’s walk through the top 5 vans that offer the best cabin storage options for food and drink.
1. Renault Master
The Renault Master is our tip at the top of the pile! The van offers the best food and drinks cabin storage available right now. In the Master, storage is almost everywhere you look. Above your head is a series of pockets over both the driver and passenger seats, perfect for hiding the last couple of Polos from your colleagues.
At Vanarama, we know the difference between deep, functional storage bins and a last-minute token gesture, and the Renault Master doesn’t disappoint in this regard. On top of the dashboard, you’ll find a series of extremely functional storage bins covering the full width of the van. There’s also a couple of drinks holders on offer which are about as deep as a venti Starbucks cup! The doors also feature a series of dual storage pockets on either side.
You can also find a handy tray under the dashboard which is around the size of a multipack of KitKats – give or take a few inches!
In the centre of the dashboard above the radio is a pull-out device holder mount. This is perfect for watching TV shows, movies or YouTube videos during your lunch, but also makes sure your iPad or Android tablet is safely secure and out the way instead of falling victim to any drink spillages.
2. Ford Transit
Next on our list is the ever-reliable Ford Transit. Ford do amazing interiors, and the Transit’s cabin certainly lives up to the name. To begin with, there are a set of large cup holders at either end of the cabin, big enough to store a large 2L bottle of water to quench your thirst during a hard day’s work. In our opinion, Ford’s cup holders are some of the best on the market. To that end, there’s also a separate fold-out cupholder under the gearstick, a cup holder to rule them all!
Above the dashboard instrumentation, you’ll find a series of storage bins, big enough to easily fit in a couple of footlong sandwiches from Subway. On the driver’s side, there’s a handy 12V plug and a USB socket, ideal for charging your tech whilst driving to the next job. Directly above the infotainment unit is another small cubby-hole with a ribbed surface for the maximum grip of your Mars Bars.
The Ford Transit also comes equipped with a generous amount of door storage as you would expect. You could probably fit about a week’s worth of liquids in each door pocket should the weather mean you need constant hydration whilst on the job.
3. Citroen Relay
The Citroen Relay is another great option to safely secure your favourite lunchtime food and drink items between Monday and Friday. One of the van’s unique features is the extremely large lockable compartment under the gearstick – big enough for a large McDonald’s feast at least. The storage option also comes complete with a handy USB port to charge your phone or tablet.
Speaking of phones and tablets, another convenient feature is the pop-up tablet holder above the infotainment system – fast becoming a must-have in the latest iteration of most vans. This is vital to make sure there are no nasty spillages on your tech!
On the passenger’s side, there’s a series of substantial storage compartments, but perhaps what makes the Relay unique is the compartment on top of the dashboard. A secret flip-top lets you hide anything precious in a secret compartment – we’re thinking the last red or purple Starbursts.
There’s also handy storage underneath the seats, but this will most likely be the place you keep your toolbox or other items, rather than gourmet cuisine.
4. Nissan e-NV200
A smaller van than others on our list, the Nissan e-NV200) more than makes up for it with its functional and comfortable interior. There’s a seemingly endless array of storage pockets and cubby holes in the cabin. The door storage compartments are more than enough to fit around 10 Yorkies on either side.
Some cup holders in modern vans struggle to store large drinks securely. However, we’re pleased to report that the Nissan e-NV200 doesn’t have any such problems. The van features four very large cup holders that can easily accommodate the type of drinks that you would expect to get from coffee shops and supermarkets.
One of the best features of the Nissan e-NV200 is the large compartment between the two seats - room enough for a sandwich or six! It’s also the perfect place to store items that you wouldn’t want to be on show in the cabin, but also need fast and easy access to. The van also comes complete with a large, full-length storage bin on the dashboard.
5. Volkswagen Transporter
In the final spot on our top five list, it’s the Volkswagen Transporter. The centre storage unit above the infotainment screen is tailor-made for a sandwich, wrap or lunchbox. You can forget about it; it’s not going anywhere!
The Volkswagen Transporter is another van that benefits from fantastic cup holders, one of Vanarama’s favourite things to look out for. There are cup holders on both the driver and passenger sides of the vehicle. They’re circular and deep, meaning they can hold any cup you throw at them. A large bottle of water? Trenta cup of coffee? No problem. Both doors also come equipped with extremely generous storage solutions. A great place to store discarded wrappers and empty drink containers.
Just above the large glove box is a series of storage compartments, with the top one deep enough to fit your entire driver’s manual. The compartment below features a textured bottom to grip on to whatever you’re storing. There’s also a raised lip to stop your lunch from falling onto the floor should you have to come to a sudden stop.
Are you salivating at the thought of being able to store your lunch without it falling over and making a mess in your van? Visit our van hot offers page to find the perfect van to have your bait in!
