New brands for light commercial vehicles from China and South Korea stand alongside traditional European brands on the list of nominees for the title “International Van of the Year 2026” (IVOTY). In the 34th edition of the most prestigious award in the light commercial vehicle industry, nine candidates are on the ballot, with some of the vehicles presented as joint nominations. Newcomers from China, namely Farizon with its electric van SV and Kia from South Korea with its new, also electric light commercial vehicle PV5, are welcome participants on this occasion,
in which they will compete against several Ford Pro and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles finalists. From Ford are the new Ford E-Transit Courier, the Ford Transit Connect PHEV and the latest, high-performance Ford E-Transit (Long Range), while Volkswagen sends in its ICE- and electric versions of the new Transporter (T7) as well as the improved Crafter, which is nominated together with the MAN TGE (MY2025).
“We are in a very interesting phase in our industry, where new players enter the market with fresh ideas, create new segments and offer new solutions, all
based on emission-free technologies. These new brands are very welcome, and that they participate in the competition alongside the industry’s well-known names makes our job in the voting even more difficult,” explains Jarlath Sweeney, Chairman of IVOTY.
He added: “All of them meet the main criteria for the International Van of the Year award, including the vehicles' contribution to efficiency, safety, sustainability and to the environmental standards in the field of light commercial vehicles. To be eligible to participate, the vehicle must be new, go into serial production by the end
of the year in which it receives the award, and exhibit a significant technological innovation. The voting process is conducted independently.”
The official announcement and awarding of the trophies for IVOTY 2026 and the International Pick-up Award 2026 will take place on Wednesday, 19 November, at Solutrans 2025 in EurExpo in Lyon, France. In alphabetical order, the jury will select the overall winner from the following candidates for 2026:
- 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
