Ford Transit Courier Review & Prices

The Ford Transit Courier is the smallest Ford van available in the UK. It’s a size below alternative small vans such as the Citroen Berlingo, Renault Kangoo or Ford’s own Transit Connect, making it something of a replacement for the old Fiesta van.

It's a brilliant small van - so good, it won Highly Commended in the 2025 Carwow Car of the Year Awards.

The Transit Courier is based on the same underpinnings as the Puma SUV - and by extension the old Fiesta, but it’s definitely a van with a boxy body that’s ready for hard work. It’s like when someone you’ve known for being posh and proper rolls up their sleeves, puts on the steel toe-caps and builds their own extension - you weren’t expecting it, but they’re surprisingly ready for work.

Though the Courier is Ford’s smallest commercial vehicle, it’s not really that dinky. In terms of capacity it’s not a long way behind the Renault Kangoo, and it’s significantly larger than the outgoing Courier. In many ways, the Courier might work better for you than the larger Connect - and has the benefit of actually being built by Ford, unlike the Connect which is a rebadged VW.

Choosing your Transit Courier is an easy job, as there’s only one body size and shape available. However, you do get a choice of engine, with one diesel or two petrols on offer - the latter quite rare even in a small van. There’s even an automatic gearbox on offer, though only on the more powerful petrol model - every other version gets a six-speed manual.

There’s also an E-Transit Courier on the way, and if your needs revolve around passengers, there’s also a supremely cool Tourneo Courier and E-Tourneo Courier, which have five seats and act as a slightly smaller alternative to the Citroen Berlingo.

The Courier’s interior is thoroughly modern, with a touchscreen-driven interface and very few physical switches. It’s neatly laid-out and with all models getting a digital instrument display and a big touchscreen, you feel significantly more up-to-date than you do in base-model variants of some alternatives.

That’s not necessarily a plus in all scenarios, though - some functions require several taps of the screen, which isn’t always easy if you have meaty fingers or are wearing gloves.

Driving the Courier is much less divisive - it’s a pleasure. With light, accurate steering, a lovely gearchange and a driving position that’s better than many cars, it’s comfortable and nippy around town and refined enough to take the sting out of long journeys. Diesel models are also extremely efficient, while the petrols are a rare offering for low-mileage users or those who mainly do town deliveries.

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The Transit Courier starts at just over £16,000 ex. VAT, making it usefully cheaper than even a base model Citroen Berlingo. The only way to get into a commercial vehicle for cheaper is to opt for something tiny and niche, such as the Dacia Spring Cargo.

You do have a few options when it comes to trim level. Basic Leader models are only available with the entry-level petrol engine or the diesel, and get bare steel wheels, black plastic trim and halogen headlamps. You also miss out on a side sliding door, though you still get the massive touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Step up to Trend trim and, while you will pay an extra few thousand, you get air-conditioning, a side sliding door, foglights, an armrest and lumbar support for the driver’s seat. Limited models go up one further and get a glitzier front grille, body-coloured exterior trim, alloy wheels, climate control, heated seats and steering wheel and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.

The range-topper is called Active and gets a beefier makeover to give it the look of an off-roader - though it’s still only front-wheel drive. The honeycomb mesh grille and chunky alloy wheels look great, though, and it’s only a few hundred pounds more than the Limited.

A choice of petrol or diesel engines, and both are excellent - but better suited to inner-city work than long runs with big payloads

The Transit Courier is based on the same underpinnings as the Ford Puma - and that’s one of the best-driving small SUVs you can buy. As a result, the Courier is brilliant to nip about in, with light, accurate steering, a springy and positive gearchange and suspension that feels much more like a car than a heavy-duty van.

The good experience starts with the driving position. You sit quite low, and the steering wheel is upright. The pedals and gearshift are perfectly placed, and unsurprisingly if you shut your eyes you could well be sat in one of Ford’s passenger cars. Drivers of all shapes and sizes should be able to get comfortable, and the seats go far enough back that the standard bulkhead doesn’t feel too limiting even for very tall people.

The 1.5-litre diesel engine will remain the most popular choice for most, and it feels like a very natural fit for the Courier. Though there’s only 100hp on tap, it never struggles, and it feels just as quick as a 130hp Citroen Berlingo. The six-speed manual gearbox has a lovely action too, though the gears are quite long - so you need to rev a little more than you might expect in between ratios.

Petrol engines are Ford’s well-known 1.0-litre Ecoboost three-cylinders, in 100hp or 125hp guises. The former is available exclusively with Leader trim, while the 125hp model can be had with every trim level. You can also spec it with a seven-speed automatic gearbox, which isn’t quite as good as the dual-clutch box you get on a Transit Connect or Volkswagen Caddy - it feels a little hesitant.

The Transit Courier’s suspension does an excellent job of ironing out lumps and bumps, whether fully loaded or unladen. Again, it feels just like a Puma here - though with the benefit of squashier tyres to give it an even softer edge. The suspension is well-judged though, so it doesn’t lean through bends like a Citroen Berlingo does.

Just one body size, but a useful load area even if the payload is a bit weedy without an optional weight upgrade

The Courier is a physically smaller van than a Citroen Berlingo or Volkswagen Caddy, and has a correspondingly smaller load area - but it’s much more spacious than the car-based vans like the Fiesta Van that the Courier indirectly replaces.

You only get one body length and height, and while payload is only about two-thirds of the best small vans on sale, it’s quite practical. A full-width bulkhead is standard, you get asymmetric barn doors at the rear (which open to 180 degrees), but Leader models don’t get a side sliding door. You need a Trend or higher for that, whereupon you get one on the offside - you can add an extra for £500. You also get a load-through hatch to allow you to load longer items underneath the front passenger seat.

Ford Transit Courier internal and external measurements

Exterior dimensions
Exterior length: 4,337mm
Exterior width excluding mirrors: 1,800mm
Exterior width including mirrors: 2,076mm
Exterior height: 1,827mm

Interior load length
To bulkhead: 1,802mm
With load-through: 2,667mm

Interior load height
Max height: 1,253mm

Interior load width
Max width: 1,535mm
Between wheel arches: 1,220mm

Rear door aperture height/width
All versions: 1,120mm/1,235mm

Side door aperture height/width
All versions: 1,069mm/528mm

Towing capacity

As a small, fairly lightweight van, you might not expect great things from the Transit - but the diesel is capable of towing up to 1,100kg, while the petrols can tow 1,000kg, which is as good as the best Citroen Berlingo.

Payload

Transit Courier payload varies depending on the trim and engine. In standard form it ranges from 615kg up to 677kg, but you can option an increased gross vehicle weight which boosts payload to a maximum of 849kg. That’s very competitive with larger vans, though a Citroen Berlingo can carry more than a ton in some forms.

Button-lite cab is comfortable but a bit too fiddly for a working vehicle

The Transit Courier’s interior is neat and well-built. It’s also quite high-tech for such a cheap van - even the entry-level Leader has a digital instrument display and 8.0-inch infotainment display, which comes with wireless smartphone mirroring as standard - so you can use navigation through Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

Compared with base variants of some alternatives, such as the Citroen Berlingo, this seems very generous - many alternatives don’t get an infotainment screen at all, just a phone holder. Ford’s Sync4 software runs quickly and is quite easy to use, too.

You get a row of shortcut keys underneath the screen and buttons plus some switches on the steering wheel, but that’s it for physical switchgear - everything else, including the climate control, is manipulated through the touchscreen. This can be a pain to do on the move, and some key functions - such as switching off some of the safety systems - require several taps on the screen.

Storage solutions are adequate, with a good-sized glovebox, reasonable door bins, a pair of cupholders and room for a smartphone in front of the gearlever. There’s also an intriguing storage cubby alongside the touchscreen, which looks pretty useless for anything other than coins or parking tickets until you realise it’s been designed to take a smartphone mount - rather than clipping one onto and potentially breaking the air vents.

Special mention should go to the seats - even on the base model they’re excellent, but step up a couple of trim levels and you get AGR-approved (the German campaign for healthier backs) seats which are comfortable enough for hours at the wheel with no aches. Refinement is also great, with road and wind noise well-contained and only a bit of engine roar at higher revs.

Ford Transit Courier running costs should be fairly low. All the engines claim reasonable efficiency - up to 43mpg for the two petrols, and up to 54mpg for the diesel - at least officially. Over a week with the diesel we found 50mpg easily achievable over mixed mileage and longer runs saw the Courier return over 55mpg.

That’s on par with a Citroen Berlingo and should mean the Courier is affordable to run.

You also save a fair chunk in the Courier’s purchase price - even the most expensive Active model is on par with a base-spec Berlingo, so you can either offset some optional extras or simply enjoy spending less in the first place.

Being based on a car platform means the Transit Courier gets a full suite of safety kit as standard - every model has autonomous emergency braking, rear parking sensors, cruise control, speed limit and lane-keeping assistance, and six airbags.

The Transit Courier hasn’t been crash tested but the passenger-carrying Tourneo Courier scored three stars from Euro NCAP. Fairly low scores across the board mean it’s not one of the safest vehicles you can buy, but it’s reassuring to know that it’s been tested.

An alarm isn’t offered as standard on any trim level but it is an affordable option across the board.

The Courier is an all-new van but it uses components that are well-proven. The chassis and engines have all been in service for a long time, and have been toughened up somewhat for commercial vehicle use.

That being said, EcoBoost petrol engines aren’t known for their exceptional longevity - so stick with the diesel if you want the best chance of reliability.

Service intervals for the Transit Courier are the same as other Transit models, requiring a visit to the dealer every two years or 25,000 miles. Standard warranty is a pretty disappointing three years or 60,000 miles, though extended cover is available.