Two years after Renault’s Master earned the prestigious 2025 Utility Vehicle of the Year award with its large van, Renault today goes big again, pulling off another win.
The Renault Trafic Named 2027 Utility Vehicle of the Year
At the Hannover Commercial Vehicle Show in Germany, the biennial flagship event for utility vehicles, the van of the year trophy was awarded to the Renault badge. And Renault can celebrate, since 26 specialized journalists representing as many European countries all placed the new Renault Trafic Van E-Tech Electric at the top of their rankings. This marks the French brand’s sixth time taking home the coveted prize. The new Trafic is the first concrete result of Renault’s new push into the light commercial vehicle market under the futuREady plan, built on a platform specifically developed for electric commercial vehicles. It relies on a “software-defined” design to centralize the multitude of information typically handled by separate controllers, thereby delivering more computing power and quicker responsiveness. It’s a principle increasingly adopted in the auto industry, notably by BMW with its Neue Klasse. It also adopts an 800-volt electric architecture that enables ultrafast charging.
Up to 174 Miles of Range Recovered in 20 Minutes
Renault indeed claims up to 280 km (about 174 miles) of range can be recovered in just 20 minutes of plugging in, though the company has not yet disclosed the peak charging power the system can handle. As for overall range, it should exceed 470 km (roughly 292 miles) in mixed use and could reach as much as 690 km (about 429 miles) on urban-only routes. Those figures still require final homologation. Renault has, however, kept in mind the practical constraints faced by professionals. The Trafic E-Tech can offer up to 5.8 cubic meters of usable cargo space, carry up to 1,300 kg (about 2,867 lb), and tow up to 2,000 kg (about 4,409 lb). Its loading area fits three Euro pallets, with a particularly low loading lip at just 53 cm (about 21 inches) above the floor. Its overall height of 1.89 m (roughly 6.2 ft) lets it access most standard underground parking structures. Finally, its turning circle of 10.3 meters (about 33.8 ft) is in the same range as a compact car like the Renault Clio, making it especially city-friendly. The Renault Trafic E-Tech is slated to go on sale before the end of 2026 in van form, with a chassis-cab version and a crew cab variant to broaden the lineup in 2027. For context, the vehicle that won the 2026 Utility Vehicle of the Year award was the Kia PV5, which will be the Trafic E-Tech’s main rival across Europe…)
