The new Renault Kangoo Van and Mercedes-Benz Citan have been named joint winners of the International Van of the Year 2022 award, while the latest Toyota Hilux has been announced as the winner of the 6th International Pick-up Award 2022/2023 (IPUA) for medium-sized pick-up trucks.

It is the fourth occasion for Renault and Mercedes-Benz to be bestowed with this title. The 5th generation Volkswagen Caddy finished runner-up with the Stellantis small electric vans along with the Toyota Proace City Electric in third.

Jarlath Sweeney, chairman for IVOTY, said the main criteria for the International Van of the Year Award is the vehicles’ contribution to the efficiency, safety, sustainability and environmental standards of the light commercial vehicle sector.

“As the award programme enters its fourth decade, the philosophy and objectives remain unchanged, despite the high level of technology and innovation being achieved by manufacturers and also in meeting market trends,” he said.

For the IVOTY 2022 award, the candidates included traditional diesel-powered vans and selection of electric variants.

Initially, there were 14 new vans that were recently launched by 11 light commercial manufacturers for the pan-European IVOTY jury to elect one overall winner.

Mercedes-Benz won IVOTY previously in 1995, 1997 & 2005, while Renault was successful in 1998, 2002 and 2012.

Toyota Hilux wins International Pick-up Award (IPUA)

Before electing the overall victor, the nominated trucks are assessed and analysed by the expert panel from the IVOTY jury at a specially organised group test. On this occasion, this event was held in Croatia in early October.

The Hilux emerged victorious just ahead of the Isuzu D-Max, with the Jeep Gladiator third.

Previous winners of the prestigious IPUA title included the Volkswagen Amarok and Ford Ranger (both twice) and the Nissan Navara.