The new van – launched at the beginning of the year scooped the top prize, along with the hotly-contested Small Van of the Year trophy, during a special winner’s lunch in London yesterday. The other headline award, Fleet Van Manufacturer of the Year went to Volkswagen. In the categories, the city-sized van award went to Ford's Fiesta, the medium van gong was collected by VW's Transporter and the large van category fell to Mercedes-Benz's Sprinter.

“An all-new product that stands out head and shoulders above some tough competition in its sector,” said the Fleet Van of the Year judging panel. “The Doblò has made the most progress over the model it replaces and offers a clear advantage over its rivals. Good load space, high build quality, a one-tonne payload, competitive running costs and Fiat’s improved support for van fleets marks a step change for the Doblò Cargo. Stop/start comes as standard on 2.0-litre and Euro 5 versions and the independent rear suspension improves ride and handling. Fiat has flexed its engineering muscles and got it spot on.”

The awards were presented to Gerry Clarke, director, Fiat Professional UK, who said: “Customer and media interest in the new Doblò Cargo has been phenomenal, and it was recently named International Van of the Year, so we didn’t think it could get much better than that. We were wrong – and I am delighted the Doblò Cargo has once again been recognised by a panel of fleet experts for the superb vehicle that it is.”