Few competitors can match what Ford assembled in its latest offering
For the second consecutive year, the Ford Transit Custom has been named Australia's best van by the 2026 CarExpert Choice Awards — a recognition that speaks to something broader than a single product cycle. Where last year's win rested on a single diesel offering, this year Ford arrives with a full spectrum of powertrains, from plug-in hybrid to fully electric, reflecting an industry in transition and a manufacturer willing to move with it. The award is less a verdict on one vehicle than a signal about what the market is beginning to expect: that utility and thoughtfulness need not be strangers.
- Ford's Transit Custom fends off serious challenges from Hyundai and Volkswagen to retain its title, but the margin of victory is built on expansion, not repetition.
- The leap from a single diesel to a full powertrain lineup — including plug-in hybrid, electric, and all-wheel drive — represents a competitive escalation few rivals in the Australian van market can currently match.
- A cabin designed around how people actually live and work inside it has become a genuine differentiator, signalling that ergonomics and technology are now battlegrounds in the commercial vehicle segment.
- Driving dynamics — responsive steering, a composed ride, smooth torque delivery — are quietly redefining what buyers tolerate versus what they actively seek in a working van.
- The Transit Custom's widest-in-class powertrain range positions Ford to capture both fleet operators calculating fuel costs and a growing van-life community seeking something more personal than practical.
The Ford Transit Custom has taken the top prize at Australia's 2026 CarExpert Choice Awards for the second year in a row, seeing off the Hyundai Staria Load and Volkswagen Transporter to hold a title it first claimed twelve months ago.
What makes this win distinct from the last is the ground Ford has covered in the intervening year. The Transit Custom once stood on a single diesel powertrain; it now offers plug-in hybrid and fully electric variants alongside that original option, with all-wheel drive configurations adding further reach into different working and lifestyle contexts. That breadth of choice is rare in the Australian mid-size van segment.
The cabin tells its own story. Ford has treated the interior as a workspace worth designing properly — the layout is intuitive, the technology feels integrated rather than added as an afterthought, and the convenience features reflect genuine consideration of how drivers spend their days. That philosophy carries through to the driving experience: the steering is responsive, the ride composed, and the powertrains deliver smoothness and torque in a way that eases the fatigue of long working days.
The result is a van that speaks to a wide audience — trades operators weighing payload and fuel type, fleet managers calculating range, and a van-life community looking for something liveable. The Transit Custom's hold on this award comes down to its refusal to be excellent at one thing at the expense of everything else.
The Ford Transit Custom has claimed the top spot in Australia's 2026 CarExpert Choice Awards for best van, a title it now holds for the second year running. The win comes against two strong competitors: the Hyundai Staria Load and the Volkswagen Transporter, both capable vehicles in their own right, but neither able to match what Ford has assembled in its latest mid-size offering.
What's remarkable about this back-to-back victory is how Ford has expanded its hand since last year's win. Twelve months ago, the Transit Custom stood alone with a single diesel powertrain. Today, the range has broadened considerably. Buyers can now choose from plug-in hybrid and fully electric variants alongside the original diesel, plus all-wheel drive configurations that open the van to different kinds of work and adventure. Few competitors on the Australian market can offer this kind of flexibility.
The engineering reflects a philosophy that doesn't treat the cabin as an afterthought to the cargo hold. Ford invested in a workspace that actually works—the layout is intuitive, the technology feels current rather than bolted-on, and the convenience features are there because someone thought about how people actually spend their days inside these vehicles. This matters whether you're running a trades business or living out of the van by choice.
Driving dynamics matter too, and the Transit Custom doesn't ask you to sacrifice them for practicality. The steering is responsive, the ride composed, and the powertrains deliver both smoothness and torque in a way that makes long days behind the wheel less exhausting. It's the kind of detail that separates a van you tolerate from one you actually enjoy using.
The breadth of the lineup is the real story here. Commercial operators have options tailored to their specific needs—payload, range, fuel type, drivetrain. The growing van-life community finds variants suited to living and traveling. That range, combined with a cabin that doesn't feel like a compromise and driving characteristics that feel intentional rather than accidental, is why Ford has held onto this award. The Transit Custom isn't the only capable van on the market, but it's the one that tries hardest to be good at everything.
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does a van award matter? These are work vehicles, not cars people get excited about.
Because people spend enormous amounts of time in them. A tradesperson might sit in a van eight hours a day, five days a week. That's 2,000 hours a year. A bad cabin design or uncomfortable ride compounds across all those hours.
Fair point. But why did Ford win twice in a row? What changed between last year and this year?
The powertrain options expanded dramatically. Last year it was diesel only. Now there's plug-in hybrid, electric, all-wheel drive. That's not just marketing—it means different buyers can actually choose the right tool for their situation.
So it's about choice rather than any single innovation?
Partly. But it's also that Ford didn't just add options and call it a day. The cabin design, the steering, the ride quality—those all feel intentional. The van doesn't feel like an engine bolted to a box.
What about the competitors? Why didn't they win?
They're solid vehicles. But neither offered the same combination of range, refinement, and thoughtfulness in how the space is designed. The Staria and Transporter are good at what they do, but the Transit Custom is good at more things.
Does this award actually influence what people buy?
It signals something real to buyers who are doing their homework. It says: this vehicle has been tested against its peers and came out ahead. For someone about to spend $50,000 or more on a van they'll live or work in, that carries weight.