What Are The Best Vans For Carrying Euro Pallets?

By Tom Roberts - Updated 13/07/23

Choosing the right van lease for your work needs is critical - and if your next van needs to carry palletised loads, you’ll need to know how much weight it can carry and how many pallets it can take. To make it easier for you, Vanarama Van Expert Tom Roberts has taken a look at the best vans for carrying Euro pallets on the market today.

What Is A Euro Pallet?

Euro pallets are the standard pallet in use today (although there are still some other odd sizes in use), and apparently there's no less than 500 million of them in circulation worldwide. Suppliers of goods, such as building materials, use them knowing that their customers are not only equipped to store items loaded onto them, but (perhaps more importantly) that they have a vehicle capable of taking a number in its load area.

Euro pallets are in such common use that vehicle manufacturers take the size into account when designing a new van. The pallet itself is 1200mm wide, so if a van has a width between the wheel arches of 1150mm, not many van operators that carry goods loaded onto pallets are going to lease it.

The Euro pallet was designed back in the 1960s with the single goal of helping to speed up loading cargo onto trains - the proven idea being that if everything you want to carry is loaded onto identically-sized pallets they will fit together better in a cargo hold. The pallet's vital statistics are 1200mm by 800mm by 144mm, which haven't changed throughout its lifetime.

Is The Best Van For Carrying Euro Pallets The Largest Van?

No, not for everyone. If you need maximum capacity over absolutely everything else, then yes, the longest and widest large van you can lease will be the best van for you - but many van users won’t need to carry six pallets. They might actually want the smallest van possible that will carry two Europallets - or perhaps three is the magic number (you see what I’m getting at). So, with that in mind let's get going and take a look at the best small, medium and large vans for carrying Euro pallets currently available in the UK.

My ranking for each van size category takes the number of pallets into consideration first, with payload being the deciding factor if the vans in that category can all carry the same number of pallets.

Which Small Vans Can Carry The Most Euro Pallets?

In the small van category, there’s not a lot to split the majority of contenders. All of these vans can fit two Euro pallets in the back, so it comes down to payload where the vans are all very closely matched. The new Renault Kangoo just pips the others to the post with 987kg, but the excellent Citroen Berlingo is not far off with 974kg. If you want a small van to carry your two pallets that also wears the blue oval badge, then look no further than the Ford Transit Connect with its payload of up to 961kg.

As all three vans can carry the same number of Euro pallets and similar payloads, your choice will really come down to personal preference. It’s not just looks that might sway you - engines, trim levels and cab comfort may also play their part. And don’t forget, at least two of these vans are available from multiple brands. For example, if the appearance of the Berlingo doesn’t float your boat, take a look at the Fiat Doblo or the Toyota Proace City. In short, check payloads because this is where vans at this size really vary.

Which Medium Vans Carry The Most Euro Pallets?

Each van in the medium van category is capable of carrying three Euro pallets, so payload is the determining factor once again. The Vauxhall Vivaro has the highest payload in the medium sector anyway (rivalling some large vans), so it's the clear winner here.

As for the other two, the Ford Transit Custom and VW Transporter are excellent vans in their own rights - the Ford Transit Custom especially is superb value for money with efficient engine choices and trim level options available. The VW Transporter's payload is slightly lower than you might expect, but make your choice based on the actual weight you need to carry and you won't go wrong.

I’ve chosen the longer versions of these vans to give you some additional room in the loadspace, but in some cases the shorter versions of these medium vans can also accept three Euro pallets, with the bonus of some additional payload capacity.

Which Large Vans Carry The Most Euro Pallets?

Unlike the small and medium van categories, there are two clear winners in terms of Euro pallet carrying ability at the large van size - the VW Crafter & Mercedes-Benz Sprinter are both able to fit six Euro pallets in the back with comparable payloads of just over 1000kg. However, just look at the Citroen Relay’s payload of over 1400kg - it definitely deserves special mention for having such an incredibly tough platform capable of carrying so much weight!

The large van category - in terms of sales - seems to be a tussle for the top spot between the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and the Ford Transit, but the latter isn't in this top three for Euro pallet carrying ability, the longest Ford taking five Euro pallets but not managing to beat the payload of the Citroen Relay.

A Word On Doors

If you’re thinking of leasing a new van to carry Europallets, think long and hard about how you’re going to get them in and out. Make sure that the width of the side loading door can take a Euro pallet, if that’s your desired loadspace configuration, and (even more importantly) although a van with a tailgate might look nice and could keep you dry in bad weather when accessing the rear of the van, a fork truck carrying a Europallet isn’t going to get very close to the vans loadspace.

Tom's Takeaways

Euro pallet capacity is a key stat for a modern van user. The Euro pallet is the standard way to carry goods and materials across the continent, so it makes sense that customers want to know which vans can carry the most. For my money, a van's payload is more important as a 'first thing to consider' than how many Euro pallets it can fit in the loading bay - but it's a very close second.

In the end, I'm falling back on my usual piece of advice - choose your van based on what you need it to do. If you constantly carry Euro pallets loaded with materials then choose a van that can fit them in. It's as simple as that.

If you want to know more about these leading vans & pickups, why not take a look at our in-depth van reviews or check out our latest van leasing deals.