KIA’S newly introduced PV5 Cargo electric van has joined Volkswagen’s latest generation Transporter in earning a Platinum safety grading under ANCAP Safety’s Commercial Van Safety comparison program.

 

The independent assessment program evaluates the availability and performance of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) fitted to commercial vans, providing fleet operators and private buyers with a safety benchmark beyond traditional crash-testing results.

 

The light commercial van comparison focuses on active safety technologies designed to help prevent crashes before they occur unlike ANCAP’s passenger vehicle star ratings.

 

The generation seven Volkswagen Transporter achieved an overall score of 93 per cent, matching the related Ford Transit Custom, and securing a Platinum grading.

 

ANCAP said the Transporter’s strong result demonstrated consistently high performance across autonomous emergency braking, lane support, speed assistance and driver monitoring systems.

 

Kia’s market fresh all-electric PV5 Cargo was close behind achieving a Platinum grading with a score of 91 per cent.

 

It is a strong debut for Kia’s first dedicated commercial EV with testing showing high levels of performance across most autonomous emergency braking, lane support, and speed assistance scenarios.

 

The PV5 missed additional points due to the absence of reverse autonomous emergency braking, a feature increasingly valued in urban delivery and fleet applications.

 

The latest assessments were conducted under ANCAP’s 2023-2025 Commercial Van Safety Comparison criteria, which evaluate a range of advanced safety technologies including autonomous emergency braking, emergency lane keeping, blind spot monitoring, speed assistance systems, and driver monitoring functions.

 

ANCAP chief executive Carla Hoorweg said active safety systems continue to play an increasingly important role in reducing crashes involving commercial vehicles.

 

“Commercial vans spend much of their time operating in busy urban environments where advanced safety technologies can make a meaningful difference in helping drivers avoid collisions,” she said.

 

Also receiving ANCAP commercial van gradings were the Fiat Scudo and the twin Peugeot Boxer and Fiat Ducato large vans.

 

The Fiat Scudo earned a Gold grading with an overall score of 67 per cent.

 

While equipped with a comprehensive suite of driver assistance technologies, ANCAP found the vehicle’s performance across several testing scenarios was less capable than the highest-ranked competitors.

 

The Peugeot Boxer and Fiat Ducato shared a stronger Gold result, each achieving 77 per cent.

 

A common theme across the latest round of assessments was the absence of reverse emergency braking systems.

 

Four of the five newly assessed vans lacked the technology, which is designed to help prevent low-speed reversing collisions in crowded loading zones, warehouses, and urban delivery environments.

 

The latest results reinforce the growing importance of advanced driver assistance technologies in the commercial vehicle sector, where fleet operators are increasingly considering safety performance alongside payload, operating costs and efficiency.

 

The latest assessments bring the number of current-model commercial vans rated under ANCAP’s specialised safety comparison program to 20.

 

2026 ANCAP Safety Commercial Van Safety Comparison rankings:

 

Make/Model	Grading	Score
Volkswagen Transporter	Platinum	93%
Ford Transit Custom	Platinum	93%
Kia PV5 Cargo	Platinum	91%
Toyota HiAce	Gold	90%
Hyundai Staria	Gold	90%
Mercedes-Benz Vito/eVito	Gold	90%
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter/eSprinter	Gold	89%
LDV Deliver 7	Gold	86%
Farizon SV	Gold	84%
Volkswagen ID. Buzz Cargo	Gold	80%
Peugeot Boxer / Fiat Ducato	Gold	77%
Fiat Scudo	Gold	67%

The biggest car news and reviews, no BS

Our free daily newsletter sends the stories that really matter directly to you, every weekday.

Sometimes, I wish I were a truck driver. It isn’t a glamorous life, that much I understand, but still. When I get the chance to haul gravel in my 1966 Ford F600, it’s one of the highlights of my life. That’s why I don’t blame whoever built this tandem-axle Ford “Economac” that’s for sale on Bring a Trailer.

I stumbled across a video of this little big rig on social media last week, and today, I saw it on every time waster’s go-to car auction site. It’s registered as a 1967 Ford, but there’s a lot of custom fab work going on here. For example, the listing says it rides on a bespoke frame, which houses a mid-mounted 351 Windsor V8. Said pushrod engine screams through a pair of stacks mounted behind the cab.

And speaking of the cab, it’s a trucker’s dream. Not only does it tilt forward like you’d expect a COE semi to, but it’s also furnished with tons of switches to control features like the air suspension. It even has a shifter like you’d find in a true tractor-trailer, although this one is mated to a four-speed automatic rather than a 13-speed. Criticize it if you want, but when you’re building a cruiser, comfort is king.

Only one of the rear axles is driven, which isn’t all that surprising, and there’s an 8.8-inch differential with a Trick Flow cover. They’re hung with a triangulated four-link suspension setup, whereas the front utilizes a MacPherson strut. Power steering makes it a dream to putter around in, and on a sunny day, you can bet the chrome 17-inch American Racing wheels catch everybody’s eye.

Additional creature comforts make it a better place to be, including an aftermarket HVAC system. If you have kids (or grandkids), they’re sure to “ooh” and “aah” at the 140-mile-per-hour speedometer. I don’t know about you, but I personally get a kick out of the 8,000-rpm tach. Dream big, I guess.

The Mighty ECONOMAC, 6-Wheeled, V8 Powered Custom Ford Econoline!

If you ask me, this is way cooler than recreating a Peterbilt on a tiny scale. I’ve seen people build their own “semis” that are so small that they have to cram into the driver’s seat. Instead, what we have here is an awesome Sunday driver that’s sure to make everyone smile—including whoever buys it before the auction ends on Tuesday, April 7. The high bid at the time of publication sits at $21,000, but who knows if that exceeds the reserve. I can almost guarantee it cost double that price to build it.

Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: caleb@thedrive.com