Ford has always been one of the biggest automotive names on UK roads, but its dominance of the UK commercial vehicle market is unparalleled.
Vans wearing Ford badges have been on sale for more than a century and, for many years, were built in the UK. And one Ford nameplate has put its rivals completely in the shade for decades – Transit.
Launched in 1965, the original Ford Transit immediately swept to the top of the sales charts and has stayed there ever since – mainly because the archetypal van has found uses in just about every role one could imagine, and a few more besides.
Even when Ford reorganised the Transit name into a sub-brand of different vans, it made little difference to the domination. The mid-sized Transit Custom – effectively the successor to the original Transit van – took over the top spot and has since typically sold half as many again as its big sister (still called the Transit), which in turn routinely sits around 10,000 sales a year above the third-place challenger – which in many months is another family member, the Ford Ranger pick-up.
Now, Ford is facing the newest challenge of electrification and directly challenging a new wave of bespoke electric vehicle manufacturers – three of the four Transit models now also come in as electric models, and there appears to be very little prospect of Ford’s grip on the light commercial vehicle (LCV) market being seriously challenged any time soon.
Tell me more about Ford’s LCV history
The history of Ford’s operation in the UK goes back almost to the earliest days of the Ford Motor Company itself. The first British Ford Model T was assembled at the firm’s Manchester factory in 1911, and the first LCV followed a year later, a delivery van version of the Model T able to carry up to 355kg.
The commercial vehicles quickly became highly popular with firms rushing to replace their horse-drawn transport, and by 1924 Ford of Britain was making more LCVs than cars. From 1919, these included the Model TT, a version of the Model T with a six-metre-long chassis – it could carry a one-ton (1,016kg) payload and became known as the ‘Ton Van’.
Many Ton Vans were used as Post Office delivery vehicles, some even as petrol tankers, while conversion specialists offered further extended and upgraded versions. Soon, larger trucks were in production under the Fordson badge, the very first vehicle off the line at Ford’s new factory at Dagenham in Essex in 1931 being a Fordson AA Truck.
The Model Y, introduced as Ford’s ‘£100 car’ in 1935, soon spawned a van version, offering 1416 litres of loadspace and a 254kg payload. It also had no passenger seat, allowing the driver to access the loadspace without getting out of the van. By the late 1930s, the Ford LCV range had grown to more than 20 types with various size, payload and engine options, the latter extending right up to V8 units.
In 1938, the Fordson E83W was launched as a panel van based on the Ford 8 car and was also available as a chassis cab, with a wide range of specialist bodies available for installation. After playing a major role in providing emergency services in the war, in 1953 the entire commercial range gained a much more friendly name, as Fordson was replaced by Thames.
That range by now comprised vans and trucks, with payloads from two to eight tons, and with diesel engines. The largest vans were known as Thames Traders, and were the first Ford commercial vehicle completely designed and developed in the UK.
After Ford merged its British, German and Irish divisions to form Ford Europe in 1967, the first new vehicle to be launched was not a car but a van replacing the Thames, and which was to dominate the LCV industry – the Transit. That van and its descendants have been the best-selling LCV across much of Europe ever since.
The initial Transit was sold in six basic versions with three engine choices, but all the variations available extended this to some 44 different models. Almost immediately, they were employed in every role from panel vans to fire engines, mobile workshops to milk floats, platforms for cherry pickers – there are very few uses a Transit has not been put to.
Today’s fourth-generation Transit was launched in 2013 and updated in 2020. It remains the bedrock of Ford’s commercial vehicle offering – when the model celebrated its 45th anniversary in 2010 Ford claimed that 600 different versions were available. As part of the fourth-generation model’s 2020 update, the first electric E-Transit version was announced, arriving on the roads in 2022.
The Transit has also spawned several siblings. The Transit Connect, launched in 2002, is a sub-one-tonne van which, unlike many rivals, was designed from the start as a commercial vehicle (rather than being evolved from a car).
The Transit Connect was launched with two wheelbase options, and even the short variant could swallow two Euro pallets. A Mk2 version launched in 2012, and the current third-generation model arrived in 2024 as a joint programme with Volkswagen, with the latest Connect based on the Volkswagen Caddy.
An even smaller LCV, the Transit Courier, does owe its existence to a car, the first version on sale from 2014 using the chassis of the Fiesta. It evolved into a second-generation version in 2023 and with the Fiesta no longer in production its replacement, the Puma crossover, provided the chassis for the Mk2 Courier, increasing its payload capability as a result.
In 2014, as well as launching the Transit Courier, the main Transit range was split into two. The larger plus-two-tonne version retained the Transit name, while the smaller front-wheel drive models were renamed as the Transit Custom.
The Transit Custom is now in its second generation and, as with the Transit Connect, the latest model is a joint effort with Volkswagen, built by Ford but also serving as the basis for the new T7 Volkswagen Transporter. It’s available with a choice of diesel, plug-in hybrid and electric powertrains.
Meanwhile, Ford has also been seeking to enhance the services it offers van operators, with many users now looking as keenly at the aftersales programme as the van itself. Ford Pro, launched in 2022 as the umbrella title for the LCV operation, is described by its creators as a ‘productivity accelerator’, combining the vans themselves with various software and connectivity services to ensure the vans spend as much time as possible on the road and most efficiently used.
What models does Ford have and what else is coming?
When people think of a Ford van, they immediately also think Transit, though that singular name only applies to larger versions of the vehicle, weighing two tonnes or more and rear-wheel drive as standard – the smaller front-wheel drive variants were rebranded as the Transit Custom with the launch of the fourth-generation of the van from 2012.
Facelifted in 2020 with an updated interior heavily influenced by the then Ford Focus, and again in 2024 with lots of new connectivity technology, the current Transit is on sale as a panel van with two wheelbase lengths, 3.3 or 3.8 metres, and a chassis cab also available as an extended model with a 4.5-metre wheelbase and the option of dual rear axles. The standard 2.0-litre diesel engine is available in a choice of three power outputs.
Three body heights are also available, allowing the vehicle volume to range from 7.9m3 to 12.8m3 and payloads from under a tonne to nearly three tonnes. A range of options and conversions is available for the Transit, either directly from Ford or from third-party specialists, while there is also a passenger vehicle model called the Tourneo.
In 2022, the Transit range was extended by the first electric versions – the E-Transit is available as a van and a six-seater. Like its diesel-engined equivalents, it can be specified with a range of lengths and roof heights, and with standard or extended-range powertrains. The official figure of up to 196 miles between charges is boosted by up to 53 miles by going for the extended range version, but payload limits are also reduced.
The mid-sized front-wheel drive model, given the Transit Custom name in 2012, has been Britain’s most popular van for many years, selling around twice as many as the next best-selling van – which is its bigger sister, the Transit.
Weighing in at under two tonnes, the latest Transit Custom is Ford’s newest van, launched in 2023. Built in Turkey, it’s now part of a wide-ranging collaboration between Ford and Volkswagen, so if you buy a Volkswagen Transporter instead, you are effectively getting a reworked Transit Custom.
The Transit Custom comes as a panel van in two lengths, offering 5.8m3 or 6.8m3 of load space and a maximum payload of more than 1.3 tonnes. It can also be had as a double-cab or the multi-cab which seats up to five.
The standard 2.0-litre diesel engine is available in a choice of four power outputs, two of which are available with all-wheel drive. There’s also a plug-in hybrid model and, like its big sister, a fully electric E-Transit Custom model.
Ford launched its Transit Connect in 2002 as a dedicated small van, replacing earlier models based on the Ford Escort hatchback. The second-generation model arrived in 2014 and was facelifted in 2019 with mainly interior updates.
Again part of the Ford and Volkswagen joint programme, the latest Transit Connect is built by the German manufacturer, alongside the Volkswagen Caddy. And there is still a car connection – the Caddy’s chassis is shared with the Volkswagen Golf.
Powertrain choices include a pair of diesel engines or a petrol plug-in hybrid – the Transit Connect is the only Ford van not offered in fully electric form. However, it can be specified in all-wheel drive rather than the standard front-wheel drive.
Like its larger sisters, there are many body options for the Connect, including two wheelbase lengths with 3.1m3 or 3.7m3 of space and payloads up to 793kg. Fixed or movable bulkheads are available; the latter, known as a FlexCab, offers two seats or three additional seats at the expense of load space.
The smallest of the Ford van range is the Transit Courier, though it’s hardly smaller than the Transit Connect, while being noticeably cheaper. This one is derived from a car – the first Transit Courier of 2014 was based on the Fiesta, now the second-generation version launched in 2024 uses the Puma crossover as its basis.
The Courier comes in only one length, with a maximum load space of 2.9m3 and payloads from 615 to 845kg – the load bay will accommodate a pair of Euro pallets. Engines include two petrol units and a diesel, and there is also an e-Courier electric version.
Ford has also offered a pick-up on the European market for many years, the Ranger, and the latest version, launched in 2023, has proven highly popular – not just in commercial use but as a lifestyle vehicle. The Ranger routinely sits in the top five light-commercial vehicles sold in the UK.
Where can I try a Ford van or pick-up?
The Ford LCV sales and service network is provided by specialist outlets called Transit Centres, and their importance has grown in recent years – there are around 100 dotted around the UK, so business customers are seldom far from a sales and service outlet.
What services does Ford offer the van operator?
Ford has long sought to emphasise the specialist service to its commercial customers by growing its network of bespoke Transit Centres, while its offerings to van operators stepped up a gear in 2022 with the launch of Ford Pro, a suite of productivity services inspired by the launch of the e-Transit and the different challenges that running an electric van would bring to customers.
Ford Pro encompasses five elements, starting with the vehicles themselves, ensuring customers choose the best vehicle for their needs and fit it out accordingly.
Servicing is considered the second most important element of the programme, offering mobile service plans and service centres with later opening hours to try and keep vans off the road for a minimum time.
This is greatly aided by the third element, software. The vans make use of the FordLIVE connectivity service, launched in 2021 and under constant development. The software uploads real-time usage data to both the van operator and Ford itself, allowing more accurate prediction of service needs.
Drivers can also make use of immediate assistance if any issues occur due to the Ford Pro centre analysing the real-time data from the vehicle. For example, the driver can be advised if is safe to continue a journey when a warning light appears on the dash.
Element four is charging, which focuses on electric models and not only helps drivers recharge their vehicles in the most effective way possible, but also advises operators on which charging infrastructure they should install – potentially avoiding mistakes that are costly and hard to rectify.
The final element of Ford Pro covers financing, offering a range of options to try and ensure operators make the most cost-efficient decisions on obtaining vans and the support than goes with them.
Telematics through FordLIVE is an essential part of the aftersales and support service Ford offers its LCV customers. Personnel at FordLIVE centres can directly monitor every aspect of the vehicle when it is going in for service, or being recovered after a breakdown, enabling more rapid diagnosis of faults or potential issues and less time off the road.
Other services offered under the Ford Pro umbrella include a fleet management service, providing the tools and backup to make life easier, particularly for those responsible for vehicles in smaller companies who may not be so experienced in running a fleet.
A Ford fact to impress your friends
Transits have been used to carry all manner of items, including two baby elephants transported by London Zoo in 1965.
In the same year, students from Barking College in London proved the capacity of the Transit when 48 of them packed into a minibus version. And in 1973, a Transit was used to transport a 1.5-tonne 15-metre full-size model of a Cetiosaurus dinosaur from Kent to Scotland.
Summary
Ford has long succeeded in the LCV market by ensuring it can offer an effective option for every possible use a van might be needed for, building a huge degree of flexibility into every model in its range.
With the rise of electric vans, that flexibility is being extended to keep Ford at the top of the sales charts for many years to come.
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