You’ve probably seen mention of car, van and truck emissions and the fact that the government’s aim is to reduce the output of harmful gases produced by our vehicles.
But what exactly do things like Euro 6, CO2, NOx and ULEZ zones mean? And how do they affect the van user specifically? Let’s take a look.
What are Euro 6 emission standards?
As of the end of 2022, there were almost 4.5 million LCV’s (Light Commercial Vehicles) on the UK’s roads, keeping businesses and the economy moving. Traditionally, vans have been powered by diesel engines and there is plenty of evidence to suggest that the emissions, be it CO2 or diesel smoke particles are harmful to health.
So, back in the 90’s, the EU introduced some stringent legislation that manufacturers have had to comply with. These ‘Euro’ designations, which have gradually tightened mean that vans are only permitted to produce emissions to a certain level.
This table shows how, since 1992, manufacturers have had to continually reduce the amount of harmful gases their vehicles emit.
| Class 1 vehicles (most LCV’s) | Date Introduced | CO2 limit | Nitrogen Oxide limit (g/km) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Euro 1 | October 1994 | 2.72 | – |
| Euro 2 | January 1997 | 2.2 | – |
| Euro 3 | January 2000 | 1.0 | 0.15 |
| Euro 4 | January 2005 | 1.0 | 0.08 |
| Euro 5 | September 2009 | 1.0 | 0.06 |
| Euro 6 | September 2014 | 1.0 | 0.06 |
Additional limits were also introduced for Euro 5 and 6.
How do manufacturers get emissions down without reducing performance?
Euro’s 5 and 6 in particular, proved to be a challenge, and to achieve all the new thresholds, fresh technology had to be introduced for diesel engines.
EGR stands for Exhaust Gas Recirculation, and the technology reduces NOx (nitrogen oxide) emissions. In principle, it’s quite simple, some of the engine exhaust gases are reintroduced back into the combustion process (i.e. recycled).
SCR, or Selective Catalytic Reduction is another method, this time requiring operator intervention. Why? Because the technology requires a liquid based on ammonia (called Adblue) to be sprayed onto a component which, when the NOx gasses pass over, converts the gas into harmless water vapour and nitrogen. The vehicle has a separate tank for the Adblue, which requires refilling periodically. If you run out, your vehicle will enter ‘limp mode’ and eventually stop completely.
DPF – almost all diesel engines now incorporate a Diesel Particulate Filter. This traps soot particles from entering the atmosphere and normally self-cleans itself periodically.
In some urban operations, it can block, meaning that the driver has to drive at a certain speed for a number of miles to trigger a deep clean (via heat). In severe circumstances, the filter may have to be removed for specialist cleaning, or even replaced.
Are some Euro 6 vans cleaner than others?
Yes, especially when it comes down to CO2 emissions.
All new vans are tested using the WLTP (Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure) method. This provides both fuel consumption and CO2 output numbers under various driving situations.
Manufacturers are required to publish these figures making it easy for the consumer to compare models on a like for like basis, even if some of the MPG figures may be difficult to achieve in real world driving.
Do I need to change my van for a Euro 6 model?
Realistically, time is running out, unless you spend your day working in more rural environments.
Why?
Because more and more cities are introducing low or ultra-low emission zones (LEZ / ULEZ). Currently, places like Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Portsmouth Sheffield, Tyneside, Glasgow, Edinburgh and London have zones which make it expensive to enter with a non-Euro 6 compliant van, and more areas are planning to introduce the zones, including Manchester.
Let’s take the London ULEZ for example.
The area it covers has increased in size and now includes all 33 London boroughs – to put that into context, if you pass into the area bordered by the M25, chances are you’re in a ULEZ area. If your van doesn’t comply with Euro 6 regulations (you can check via this link) you will need to pay a £12.50 daily charge, and this doesn’t include any other fees such as the congestion charge.
So, spend a month working a 5-day week in the capital and you’ll fork out around £270, purely for not having a Euro 6 compliant vehicle. Compare that to the cost of buying or leasing a new Euro 6 van and the argument for hanging on to the old one becomes pretty weak.
Which are the best Euro 6 vans?
Firstly, the easy part. All new petrol and diesel vans on sale are Euro 6 compliant so, you don’t need to check.
All you need to do is ensure that the van is the right size for your needs and that the payload is sufficient. Then, take a look at what’s on offer.
Small Vans: The Renault Kangoo was heavily revised a couple of years ago and has received excellent reviews. The platform is also shared with the Nissan Townstar and the Mercedes-Benz Citan, the vehicles being almost identical.
This sharing arrangement also applies to the Citroen Berlingo, Fiat Doblo, Vauxhall Combo, Toyota Proace City and Peugeot Partner. Ford is another manufacturer offering smaller vans in the form of the new Ford Transit Courier.
Medium Sized Vans: This sector is dominated by the excellent and recently revised Ford Transit Custom.
Also worthy of consideration are the almost identical to each other Vauxhall Vivaro, Citroen Dispatch, Peugeot Expert, Fiat Scudo and Toyota Proace. The Renault Trafic, despite being an older design is still winning industry awards.
Large Vans: Take a look at the obvious contenders such as the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Ford Transit but, also offering excellent value for money with good payloads, are the Maxus Deliver9 and the Citroen Relay, Peugeot Boxer Fiat Ducato siblings.
The new Renault Master has won the 2025 International Van of the Year award and is a great looking vehicle.
Sourcing & Financing Euro 6 Vans
Evangate FS can finance and source Euro 6 vans for our customers. We work with trusted partners who can find vans across the UK to meet your business needs. These are more often new vans or pre-registered vans which can save our customers £000’s.
As far as finance is concerned, we will look for the best rates and terms including traditional hire purchase, finance lease or contract hire agreements.
Each type has their own advantages, for example, contract hire allows for accurate budgeting due to the fixed monthly payments with the VAT element also being paid with these instalments. At the end of the agreement, you can opt to start a new agreement with a brand new van with a full warranty.
If you are a small business or sole trader, please contact us to let us know what type of van you want and leave it to us to find it and arrange finance for you.
