Toyota Proace City review

Toyota vans aren't quite as ubiquitous as some, but you’d be foolish to let their relative rarity on the roads put you off putting the brand on your shortlist.

They're certainly well-proven; in fact, the Toyota Proace City shares almost everything with the Citroen Berlingo, Peugeot Partner and Vauxhall Combo Cargo, which were jointly developed by the PSA Group.

It gets the same 1.5-litre diesel engine with either 74bhp or 98bhp outputs and is paired to a manual five-speed gearbox. It also meets Euro-6.2 emissions levels without the need for AdBlue.

However, whereas the PSA trio are available with petrol engines and an automatic gearbox, Toyota has decided to keep the Proace City range simple, pitching it towards businesses while underlining its working capabilities.

There are two trim levels, entry-level Active and more upmarket Icon. Equally simply, there are two body lengths – short or long – and just one roof height.

While parallels can easily be drawn between the Citroen, Peugeot and Vauxhall vans, the Proace City must also compete against the Ford Transit Connect, Volkswagen Caddy and Renault Kangoo.