Citroen Berlingo Review & Prices

The Citroen Berlingo van is the lifeblood of many a small business in Europe. As one of the best-selling small vans, it’s been popular ever since the first-generation model hit the market in 1996. The third-generation van arrived in 2020 and received a heavy facelift in 2024.

The Berlingo is mechanically identical to a whole range of other small vans. The Peugeot Partner, Vauxhall Combo and Fiat Doblo are all within the giant Stellantis group. The group also supplies this van to Toyota, as the Proace City.

It’s a bit like buying sandwiches from different supermarkets – even though they’ve almost definitely come from the same factory and just been repackaged, you’re bound to have a preference.

As a small van the Berlingo can also count itself on shortlists next to the Mercedes Citan, Ford Transit Connect and Volkswagen Caddy Cargo.

The Berlingo is quite large for a small van. It’s bigger than a Renault Kangoo or Mercedes Citan, and wider and higher (though a touch shorter) than a Volkswagen Caddy Cargo or Ford Transit Connect.

You can opt between panel van and crew van versions with a rear bench seat (though no rear windows) and in M or XL body lengths. There’s no difference in body heights.

Engine choices are even simpler – there’s a 1.5-litre diesel with a couple of variables, or a 1.2-litre petrol.

There’s also an all-electric Citroen e-Berlingo van, which we’ll cover separately in its own review.

There are two trim levels available, named Enterprise and Driver. Enterprise does come with air-conditioning, remote locking, driver and passenger airbags and a range of safety equipment. However, it doesn’t have an infotainment screen, instead getting an adjustable smartphone or tablet mount with a USB charging socket.

If you step up to the Driver trim you get a 10.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system as well as a 10.0-inch digital driver’s display – there are also some additional niceties such as a full surround-view camera system and LED headlights.

The 2024 facelift seriously upgraded the cab, and one extra is Citroen’s ‘Advanced Comfort’ seats. These have various different kinds of foam, designed to be supportive without being too firm – ideal for long days at the wheel. Even the Enterprise models come with adjustable lumbar support too, which is nice.

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The Berlingo starts at less than £20,000 ex-VAT for the petrol model, available only with the M body and the entry-level trim. The Berlingo doesn’t really get that much more expensive. There’s a around a £2000 jump to go from Enterprise to Driver trim, and another circa–£2000 uplift for the XL van body. For around £2,900, you can upgrade from the 100hp diesel to the 130hp diesel.

That’s a good few thousand pounds cheaper than a Volkswagen Caddy or Ford Transit Connect, and even undercuts the smaller Mercedes Citan. It’s pretty much on par with its sister vans, so this becomes largely a matter of personal preference.

Citroen offers a pretty simple engine range for the Berlingo van. The range starts off with a 1.2-litre petrol engine, available only in the most basic trim level and the M body size. It's mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, and is aimed at those who do low mileages or mainly city driving.

The most popular option will be the 1.5-litre diesel, which you can have either with 100hp and a six-speed manual transmission, or 130hp and an eight-speed automatic. The latter commands a reasonable premium, but could be worth it if you’re planning to cover lots of motorway miles in your van.

The Citroen Berlingo is one of the best small vans for payload, and its loading area is big and useful too. All models come as standard with one side sliding door and barn doors at the rear, though the XL model can have a second sliding door as an option.

XL models have a slightly longer wheelbase as well as a longer rear overhang, and this means more space in the back for longer items. The clever Extenso Cab standard on Driver trim can allow you to load items through the bulkhead into the space occupied by the front passenger seat, freeing up even more load length.

The Crew Van is also very smart – it has a bulkhead that can slide forward and open up. So if you don’t need the rear seats, simply fold them into the floor and slide the bulkhead forward, and you’ve got an almost full-sized panel van again. You can even fold the front passenger seat and open the bulkhead up for more load length.

Citroen Berlingo internal and external measurements

Exterior dimensions
All versions (M/XL)
Exterior length: 4,403mm/4,753mm
Exterior height: 1,840mm/1,849mm (Worker models 1,860mm)
Exterior width with mirrors: 2,107mm
Exterior width without mirrors: 1,848mm

Interior load length (M/XL)
Van
To bulkhead : 1,817mm/2,167mm
With Extenso cab passthrough: 3,090mm/3,440mm

Crew Van
To bulkhead: 1450mm
Rear seats folded, bulkhead forward: 2,000mm
Rear seats and passenger seat folded: 3,050mm

Interior loading width
All versions
Max: 1,527mm
Between wheel arches: 1,229mm

Interior loading height (M/XL)
Van
Max height: 1,200mm/1,270mm

Crew Van
Max height: 1,243mm

Rear door aperture height/width
All versions: 1,196mm/1,241mm

Side door aperture height/width
All versions: 1,072mm/675mm

Citroen Berlingo towing capacity

Berlingo models can tow between 750-1050kg braked.

Citroen Berlingo payload

The best versions of the Citroen Berlingo can carry over a ton – that’s either of the diesel models in Enterprise trim and the ‘M’ length. This is a very impressive figure for a small van.

Most other models in the range come close to it – the most capacious model in the plusher Driver trim can only manage 982kg, but that’s still quite a lot compared to other small vans. Opt for the XL body length and you’ll lose about 120kg of payload, and opting for the crew van means a max payload of 840kg.

The Berlingo’s cab is generally quite a plush place to sit. With fixtures and fittings derived from the brand’s range of passenger cars, it doesn’t feel too commercial inside, though entry-level models do try their best particularly with a nasty-feeling plastic steering wheel.

The cockpit is pretty driver-focused, with the infotainment screen and air-conditioning controls angled towards the driver and the gearstick up high and close to the steering wheel.

Citroen hasn’t ditched physical switchgear totally, either – there’s a full panel of climate controls with chunky toggle switches, though these are set quite far back underneath the touchscreen and not the easiest to use in the dark.

The upgraded 10.0-inch touchscreen is standard on Driver models, and it’s the same unit Citroen fits to its passenger cars. That means it’s not necessarily the most intuitive interface, but the screen itself is bright and clear and one you get the hang of where things are you shouldn’t have much difficulty using it.

It’s nice that the screen does have physical home and vehicle setting shortcut buttons, plus a physical volume dial. There’s also Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity if you want to bypass the Citroen system altogether, and a pair of USB-C ports next to the gear selector caters for charging and connectivity needs.

Space for passengers is good, as the Berlingo’s quite a wide van. Enterprise models have a single front passenger seat with loads of space and a flip-up armrest for the driver. Driver models come with the Extenso cab and its three-seat layout. As with any small van, it’s cramped for three burly passengers – but you can be happy with two, and use the middle seat as a centre armrest and tray table.

There are two gloveboxes – a small one underneath and a large one on top of the dashboard with room for a laptop. There’s a small shelf behind the gear selector for phones, cupholders on either end of the dash and reasonable door bins.

The Berlingo’s diesel engines in particular are very efficient. A lightly loaded van fitted with the 100hp diesel could see over 60mpg if driven carefully – but even the most lead-footed tradie should be able to eke out around 45mpg from either of the diesels. Expect closer to 40mpg from the 1.2-litre petrol engine.

Diesel models are fitted with AdBlue, and have a 17-litre tank.

All Berlingos come with driver, passenger, side and curtain airbags, which is pretty good. The Citroen Berlingo passenger car was tested by Euro NCAP, and scored four stars back in 2018 – the van will have similar levels of safety.

There’s certainly no shortage of safety kit – every van gets a long list including ESC, an advanced emergency braking system and the now EU-mandated lane-keeping and speed limit warning aids. There’s also cruise control and a speed limiter.

For security, the cab and load area lock separately, and there are deadbolts. The rear door shingles are hidden, which makes it more difficult for thieves to gain access. A Thatcham Category 1 alarm is standard on Driver models, and a £225 option for the Enterprise trim.

The Berlingo sells in vast numbers and shares its components with not just four other vans, but dozens of other models from the Stellantis manufacturing group. That’s good news not just for reliability but for parts availability.

The engines have proven largely dependable, though software faults with the interior tech aren’t uncommon. Citroen offers the Berlingo with a three-year, 100,000 mile warranty, which pales in comparison to Toyota’s up-to-ten-years of cover on the mechanically identical Proace City.

Service intervals for the Berlingo are variable depending on use, but can go up to 25,000 miles and two years for the diesel models or 12,500 miles and one year for the Puretech petrol.