Best Refrigerated Vans to Lease in 2022

Whether it is a small refrigerated van for local grocery deliveries or you need a cold beast to cover half the country, investing in a new refrigerated van or fleet doesn’t come cheaply. While there are ways to ensure you can save on your initial costs, you can’t afford to try and cut corners. One of the best ways to upgrade your fleet while watching your budget is with a refrigerated van contract hire deal.

Before selecting your next van, you need to establish the best-refrigerated van for your day-to-day requirements. If you know you will be transporting smaller payloads for shorter journeys, a refrigerated compact van may be better suited for you in comparison to a larger and more expensive model. 

Whether you’re a florist, a pharmaceutical company or an industrial meat supplier, researching your options and comparing manufacturers is crucial yet time-consuming. However, it can be daunting to try and work out exactly what you need, and which refrigerated van contract hire deal will be the most cost-efficient for your business. 

Luckily, to save you time and eventually money, we’ve put together a simple list of the best refrigerated vans you can lease in 2022.

1. Peugeot Partner

For years now, the Peugeot Partner has been one of the UK’s most popular refrigerated vans in the UK. Practicality is excellent and comes with payload weights of up to a tonne.

To many drivers and experts within the industry, the Peugeot Partner is similar, if not the same, as the Citroën Berlingo and the Vauxhall Combo Cargo. All of these van models are manufactured in the same Spanish factory and are even broadly similar in their specifications and setups. 

Firstly, it’s the perfect entry point for anyone who hasn’t invested in refrigerated transport before. As long as you don’t need a large model, these offer a great introduction to this spec of van. 

On top of the great practicality and impressive payload weight, the real advances come in the cabin. Inside, Peugeot has made the Partner more user-friendly and comfortable than before. The interior is well put together and pleasantly spacious. There are ever the options between a two or three-seat available, with the centre seat on the three-seater also doubling up as a fold-down table for use as a mobile office. 

The quality of equipment is top of the range too. There’s a more robust safety kit, plenty of useful and practical features and a new design of the collapsible front passenger seat helps improve the rear load space capacity of the Partner. Driving comfort is improved with the latest model release and drivers have a variety of trim levels to choose from.

The Partner, along with the Berlingo and the Vauxhall Combo Cargo, comes with either a 1.2-litre Puretech petrol or 1.5-litre BlueHDi Euro 6 diesel engine. However, it’s only the Citroën and the Vauxhall that share an interior. Some may notice that it’s actually the same engine you’ll find in the Peugeot car range. The lower-powered engines feature a five-speed manual, while the 130 has an eight-speed auto. There are two lengths of Peugeot Partner too, called Standard and Long, which makes it perfect for almost any sized business. 

Peugeot Partner lease offers start at around £187 per month (+VAT). 

2. Nissan NV300/Primastar

The Nissan NV300 is the replacement for the popular Primastar, which went off sale in the UK back in 2016. The Primastar was built under a joint venture between the Renault-Nissan Alliance and General Motors. Originally, the medium-sized van shares its body shell and drivetrain with the Renault Trafic and Vauxhall Vivaro.

While the name has since changed, the concept is practically the same – in principle at least. All versions of the NV300 are easy to drive and come with nicely weighted steering and a comfortable driving position that some say is similar to driving a car. The ride in the NV300 is excellent and combining this with the low levels of exterior noise, makes it easy to drive the NV300 for long periods without feeling tired or drowsy.

If you have a keen eye, you will notice that the NV300 is not very much different to the Renault Trafic. Like many modern vans, the interior of the NV300 (or the Primstar) has a number of features that allow the driver to transform the cab into a mobile office for businesses on the go. All NV300s get three seats up front, although legroom in the middle seat is a little restricted due to the position of the gearbox. 

Despite the higher power output, the most economical engine fitted to the Nissan NV300 is the 123bhp twin-turbo model, which offers 47.8mpg and 155g/km on the combined cycle. The solitary 1.6-litre diesel engine is available in four states of tune: 94bhp, 119bhp, 123bhp and 143bhp. The first two are equipped with a single turbocharger and the latter two are twin-turbocharged. 

That means it’s almost on par with the most efficient mid-size panel vans you can get in the UK today. Lease deals on the Nissan NV300/Primastar start at around £278 per month (+VAT). 

3. Peugeot Boxer

The Peugeot Boxer is the biggest panel van for sale in the company’s refrigerated van line-up. Don’t be fooled, just because the Boxer has been around for a while, doesn’t mean it is out-of-date. The latest engines mean it remains a worthy contender in the large panel van sector. It’s one of the oldest vans still on sale, but has been repeatedly updated in an effort to keep it relevant, and offers one of the higher payload ratings on the market.

The Boxer is relatively lightweight for a large van. Having had its engine downsized from 2.2-litres to 2.0-litres in 2016 to meet the initial Euro-6 requirements, it has helped with the overall weight without sacrificing too much power. Peugeot has since then pushed it back up to 2.2-litres for the newer Euro-6d TEMP requirements. For those concerned with their carbon footprint, Peugeot is also introducing an electric drive to the range as an off-the-shelf model.

Beneath the branding and big bonnet, the Boxer is the same van as the current Citroen Relay and Fiat Ducato. The Boxer has had plenty of different engines over its life, but as of the 2019 update it is offered with just the two diesel engines – a pair of 2.2-litre units with 120PS or 140PS. 

Lease offers start at around £321 per month (+VAT).

Leasing a Refrigerated Van with cars2buy

If you’ve not done too much research yet, then you might not be aware that there are a lot of different types of refrigerated vans to choose from. Purchasing a refrigerated van outright is a big investment and for many small businesses, a van lease is much more achievable.

No matter the model or size, we can assure you of the very best refrigerated van contract hire throughout the UK. We currently have a huge variety of van lease offers from dealers across the country, check out our van leasing deals today.