The commercial vehicle, launched in March this year, scooped the important light van prize, after impressing What Van? judging experts with its blend of versatility, practicality, comfort and styling. “Fiat’s Doblò Cargo made a real impression when it was launched earlier in 2010, and it’s a worthy winner of the What Van? 2011 Light Van of the Year award,” says What Van? editor Paul Barker. “Smartly styled, efficient, practical and comfortable, the Doblò Cargo was a natural choice for our Light Van category winner.”

“Doblò Cargo has been a wonderful success for us right from the start,” says Gerry Clarke, director, Fiat Professional UK. “It is already International Van of the Year and Fleet Van of the Year, and this latest honour from What Van? makes it a perfect end to the year for the new range. “Our customers have told us how much they like the Doblò Cargo, and it’s clear that commercial vehicle experts do too. We’re delighted with this award.”

Available with a choice of four low emissions, Euro 4 and 5-specification engines, the new Doblò comes in seven different forms – Cargo, Cargo Maxi, Cargo SX, Cargo Maxi SX, Combi, Combi Maxi and Platform Cab – to offer something for a wide spectrum of van users. Start&Stop – which stops the engine automatically whenever traffic conditions bring the van to a complete halt, and restarts it when the driver wants to move off again – is fitted on all Euro 5 versions to give up to 15 per cent fuel savings, and the vehicle offers a low CO2 figure of just 126g/km. The engine line-up in the UK comprises a 1.4-litre 16v 95 bhp petrol unit and three MultiJet 16v diesels – 1.3 (90bhp), 1.6 (105bhp), and 2.0 (135bhp). Prices in the UK start at £11,305 (exc. VAT) for the Doblò Cargo 1.4 16v Petrol.

Meanwhile the Vauxhall Movano and its Renault Master sister van shared the top prize in the What Van? Awards. The two were jointly awarded the publication’s Van of the Year title, and also took the top spot in the Large Panel Van of the Year category. “The Vauxhall Movano and Renault Master are excellent new additions to the light commercial vehicle market and have proved themselves to be worthy recipients of the top What Van? Award,” said Barker. “The increased breadth of range, including rear-wheel drive models for the first time, and the industry-leading levels of interior functionality and practicality in particular swayed the judges’ decision.”

Renault also tasted success with its forthcoming electric Renault Kangoo ZE, which took the Technology prize, and the customer service initiatives iCare and Pro+ earned the Editor’s Choice award. Other category winners, aside from the Doblò, included the Ford Fiesta Van, VW Transporter, and Mitsubishi L200, while the Safety prize went to Mercedes for its efforts to improve crash avoidance and protection in its light commercial vehicles. “These awards are increasingly difficult to judge as the quality of product in the market continues to surge forward, but that’s a brilliant problem to have,” continued Barker. “The entire industry deserves credit for the way it has progressed despite the very difficult market conditions, and it’s nice to be able to reward those we feel are top of the pile.”

What Van? Award winners: