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The Volkswagen Transporter has been voted the Irish Van of the Year 2026, in association with Continental Tyres, by the Irish Van of the Year Jury, writes Trish Whelan. The Irish Van of the Year title is awarded by the van jury of the Motoring Media Association of Ireland (MMAI) whose members individually assess each commercial vehicle launched in Ireland each year and the winner is announced as part of the overall Irish Car and Van of the Year programme at an awards event each November.
MMAI Irish Van of the Year juror, Paul White, congratulated Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Ireland as a very worthy winner of the title. He commented: “In every measure: versatility, comfort, fuel economy, new safety technologies, driving dynamics - commercial vehicles have come on in leaps and bounds over the last number of years and the Transporter scored very highly in each of this key attributes.”
Presenting the award to Paul Hunt of the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles team, Tom Dennigan of award sponsors Continental Tyres, said the Irish Van of the Year title for 2026 will undoubtedly be a huge boost for the Transporter in Ireland’s hyper-competitive van segment. He added: “In carrying out their assessment of every commercial vehicle launched here each year, the MMAI jury pay particular attention to how a vehicle meets the particular requirements of the Irish market, that is why their choices are such a great help for fleet operators and van owners here in choosing the right vehicle for their needs.”
With a bumper field of 27 new commercial vehicle models launched in Ireland over the past 12 months, the eligible models for this year’s Irish Van of the Year awards were broken down into four categories.
2026 category winners:
Irish Car-Derived Van of the Year: Jeep Avenger CDV
Irish Electric Commercial of the Year: Joint winner Ford E-Transit Custom/Volkswagen e-Transporter
Irish 4x4 Commercial of the Year: Toyota Land Cruiser
Irish Panel Van of the Year: Volkswagen Transporter.
Paul White of the Motoring Media Association of Ireland (MMAI) Irish Van of the Year jury, is pictured above with Paul Hunt of the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles team, and Tom Dennigan of Continental Tyres Ireland, with the Volkswagen Transporter which took the Irish Van of the Year title for 2026.
