Ford Transit Custom Review & Prices

To put it simply - the Ford Transit Custom is the UK’s best-selling thing on four wheels. It comfortably outsells any passenger car you can name, making it the lifeblood of thousands of businesses big and small. This latest model has a lot to live up to, then - it’s a bit like having famous parents, with a long legacy to uphold.

As a medium-sized panel van, the Transit Custom has loads of alternatives, from the Mercedes Vito to the Renault Trafic and the Stellantis quadrilogy of the Peugeot Expert, Citroen Dispatch, Fiat Scudo and Vauxhall Vivaro.

Later in 2024 Volkswagen will also launch a new version of its popular Transporter, which for the first time shares its mechanical underpinnings with the Transit, making it a particularly close alternative.

The Transit Custom didn’t get to be the best-selling vehicle without an extensive series of feathers in its proverbial cap. You can have it with a choice of two body lengths and two heights, and as a regular van, crew van, or the very clever Multicab which offers five seats and a full loading length. For passengers, there’s the Spartan Transit Custom Kombi or the significantly plusher Tourneo Custom.

Added to this is a range of four diesel engines, an all-new plug-in hybrid as well as the all-electric E-Transit Custom (reviewed separately). With several trim levels as well as a wide array of clever options, chances are you’ll be able to find a Transit Custom to suit your needs no matter what they are.

The Transit’s diesel engines will make up the bulk of its sales, with power outputs ranging from 110hp right up to 170hp. Six-speed manual or a smooth eight-speed automatic are the gearbox choices, and Ford’s ensured that the Transit Custom is still the best mid-sized van to drive, even if the old model was better in this regard.

There’s also a Transit Custom plug-in hybrid available. This uses the 2.5-litre engine, motor and battery pack from the Ford Kuga, and has an official fuel economy figure of 176.6mpg. That depends entirely on how you charge it, of course, but the new Transit Custom PHEV could be of great benefit if you perhaps do most of your business within a city centre but want the freedom to take your van on longer journeys occasionally.

Trim levels run from Leader through Trend, Limited and the specialised Sport and Trail models. However, all Transit Customs have the same dashboard, which features a huge 13.0-inch touchscreen at the centre controlling almost all of the vehicle’s functions. There’s a further screen for driver information, and minimal physical switchgear - making this Transit Custom the techiest van on sale by quite some margin.

Transit Custom payloads are up there with the best in class, and the load area is capacious. It’s loaded with smart features, too - there’s a pass-through bulkhead on all but the base model to allow long items to protrude under the double front passenger seat, and ample bright LED lighting for the load area. On the options list is a stowable roof rack, which can be lowered to improve economy and refinement when it’s not being used.

The clever ‘Multicab’ body option is a new one, too - it uses an L-shaped bulkhead to provide seating for two passengers in the rear of the Transit Custom, with a narrow area next to them that provides full loading length.

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The Transit Custom range is very extensive, but with a serious uplift in technology the significant price rise over the outgoing model is to be expected. Prices start from around £32,000 ex. VAT, which is a good £5,000 more than a basic Citroen Dispatch and on par with a Mercedes Vito.

You do get a lot of equipment for your money, including that massive touchscreen as standard - but don’t go thinking that the Ford Transit Custom is the bargain that it once was.

Loads of engine options including a clever plug-in hybrid, but the old Transit Custom was a better steer

The Transit Custom engine range is pretty extensive with diesel, plug-in hybrid and fully electric models.

The bulk of the range is found in the diesel engines - they’re all 2.0-litre four-cylinder units, and you can have 110hp, 136hp, 150hp or 170hp versions. A six-speed manual gearbox is standard, but from the 136hp engine and above you can have a smooth eight-speed automatic.

The diesels aren’t the quietest but do feel suitably muscular, with even the 110hp engine having enough grunt for long journeys. The 136hp is the sweet spot of the range, feeling more able to cope with a fully laden van. While Ford’s six-speed manual is a good gearbox with a nice action, the eight-speed auto is well worth considering - it shifts smoothly and has a much higher top gear for more relaxed motorway cruising.

The Transit Custom plug-in hybrid is an interesting engine option. It’s pricey - the most basic version is nearly £40,000 ex. VAT - but it does have the potential to really drop running costs without sacrificing long-distance range like you do with a fully electric van. Ford says it can do around 35 miles on electric power alone - we’d estimate that’s more like 25-30 miles depending on your usage - but that’s enough for a lot of inner-city deliveries. Charge it overnight on cheap rate electricity and it’ll reduce running costs significantly.

When the battery’s flat, a 2.5-litre petrol engine takes over. It’s a powerful combination and is very smooth and relaxing to drive.

Regardless of engine choice, the Transit Custom is a great van for the driver. It feels extremely car-like, with light, accurate steering and suspension that copes superbly with bumps and potholes.

The previous model’s steering was a little more satisfying and solid-feeling, but making the controls lighter does mean the latest generation requires less effort to drive. Though the margin is slimmer than it once was, the Ford Transit Custom is still the best medium-sized panel van in terms of its driving experience.

The Transit Custom is ready for hard work with plenty of space and clever loading features - but it's not the payload champion any more

The Transit Custom’s load area is similar to its predecessor’s. It’s slightly smaller in terms of overall capacity, but there’s better access with sliding side and rear doors that open wider than before.

Two body lengths are available, named L1 and L2, and two body heights named H1 and H2, with the largest model offering up to 9.0 cubic metres of space. There are numerous tie-down points and a panelled floor as standard, though the wheelarches remain bare.

A full-width bulkhead is standard on panel vans, with a pass-through for longer items on Trend trim and above. Numerous other configurations are available, including the smart Multicab version which provides a narrow area of full-length loading space with two passenger seats adjacent.

Ford Transit Custom internal and external measurements

Exterior dimensions (L1/L2)
Exterior length: 5,050mm/5,450mm
Exterior width with mirrors: 2,275mm
Exterior width without mirrors: 2,032mm
Exterior height (H1/H2): 1,968mm/2,471mm

Interior load length (L1/L2)
Van
To bulkhead: 2,602mm/3,002mm
With passthrough: 3,050mm/3,450mm

Multicab
To bulkhead: 2602mm/3,002mm
Behind seats: 1,287mm/1,687mm

Double cab in-van
To bulkhead: 1,605mm/2,004mm

Interior loading width
Van
Max: 1,777mm
Between wheel arches: 1,392mm

Multicab
Max: 1,777mm
Between wheel arches: 1,392mm
Beside rear seats: 605mm

Double cab in-van
Max: 1,777mm
Between wheel arches: 1,392mm

Interior loading height (H1/H2)
Max height: 1,322mm/1,822mm

Rear door aperture height/width
All versions: 1,316mm/1,400mm

Side door aperture height/width
All versions: 1,301mm/1,030mm

Ford Transit Custom towing capacity

The towing capacity of the Transit Custom depends on which version you choose, but every model can pull at least 2,000kg braked.

Most can tow around 2,300kg, while the best model - the 136hp Trend in L1, H1 form - tops out at 2,800kg. Even the plug-in hybrid can tow 2,300kg, which is impressive as alternative powertrains often result in a loss of utility.

Ford Transit Custom payload

The previous Transit Custom was the best van in its class in terms of payload. The new model doesn’t lead the pack but it’s still good, with load capacity ranging from a low of 891kg up to 1,384kg for the best model. That’s beaten by the Stellantis group vans, which can carry more than 1,400kg.

The Transit Custom’s cab isn’t as spacious as a Mercedes Vito or Renault Trafic, but it’s high-tech and cleverly designed. For starters, you get a totally flat floor with minimal intrusion from the wheels - not only does this make it easier to clean and leave more space for everybody’s feet, but it means the driver can very easily slide across the cab to exit from the passenger door if necessary.

Ford says the flat floor was also implemented due to customer feedback - as an example, one customer said that he liked to carry his pots of paint next to him in the cab to keep an eye on them when cornering.

There’s still a little bit of intrusion for the centre passenger in manual models, as the gearbox pod protrudes out where their knee might go - but automatics don’t have this issue with the shifter placed on the steering column instead.

The dashboard is dominated by a pair of screens for driver information and for infotainment. The former is 8.0 inches across and is bright, clear and simple. It’s flanked by LCD readouts for fuel and temperature.

The central touchscreen is a mammoth 13.0-inch affair - the biggest screen in any van currently - and runs everything from navigation to smartphone connectivity to the climate controls. There’s a useful panel across the bottom for some shortcuts that remains permanently in view, so you don’t have to go into a different screen.

The screen’s sheer size does make pressing buttons easier than on some alternatives, but the interface does have quite a few functions that require a rather precise press. Not the easiest thing to do on the move, or if you’re wearing gloves.

The oddly squared-off steering wheel is loaded with buttons too, though these are also pretty small. However, the wheel has a trick up its sleeve - tick the right option box, and at the press of a button it can flip up to fold flat. Add on a plastic tabletop for a tray that can be used for your lunch, a laptop or simply somewhere to prop items up.

The lower glovebox is a good size, while the upper one is narrow but goes back a long way - good for paperwork. There’s open storage above the dash, but no overhead storage areas. The cupholders at either end of the dash are a little shallow, though the fold-down one in the centre accommodates all but the largest drinks, and there are useful multi-level door bins too.

Build quality and material choice is good - everything feels sturdy and hardwearing, and we especially like the textured rubber floor mat which provides plenty of grip.

MPG for the diesel Transit Customs is all much of a muchness. Official figures for most are around 40mpg, though we found this very achievable in the real world with a lightly loaded van. Making full use of the Transit Custom’s payload capacity may see this figure drop, though.

Automatic models will provide better fuel economy if you’re doing regular motorway runs, as they have a much higher top gear which lets the engine rev less at high speed. Expect to sacrifice a few mpg around town, though.

By far the most efficient Transit Custom - on paper - is the plug-in hybrid, which claims a barely-believable 176mpg. Plug in regularly and you might even see that figure, but it’s highly dependant on your charging behaviour. With a discharged battery, we saw around 40mpg from this powertrain.

All diesel Transit Customs have a large, 21-litre AdBlue tank.

Euro NCAP doesn’t test commercial vehicles in the same way as it does passenger cars. However, after putting the Transit Custom through its paces it awarded it with the highest Platinum rating. The passenger-carrying version, the Tourneo Custom, scored three stars in Euro NCAP’s normal testing, or four stars with additional optional safety equipment.

All models get a large amount of safety kit - cruise control, lane-keeping, intelligent speed limiter, autonomous emergency braking and rear parking sensors. Further up the range you can get really posh features like a 360-degree camera and adaptive cruise control. Driver and passenger airbags are standard, while side and curtain airbags can be added for a reasonable sum.

An alarm is only standard on the top-rung Limited trim level, which is a shame - but it’s available lower down the range for a reasonable fee, as are deadlocks and beefier high-security latches.

This Transit Custom is all-new, so reliability is hard to judge. However, the sheer number of Transits sold means that owners do tend to encounter a lot of problems - though few are persistent. A vast number of dealers and excellent parts availability reduces downtime, and Ford’s free telematics system allows fleet managers to remotely monitor their vehicle health and servicing schedule.

On the topic of servicing, the Transit Custom requires a visit to the dealer every two years or 25,000 miles, whichever comes first. Warranty cover is a disappointingly basic three years or 60,000 miles.