Renault Trafic Review 2024
The Renault Trafic is a mid-sized panel van that's the standard version in the Trafic range. With decent performance and a practical interior, the Trafic is an ideal van for businesses needing cargo space.
Rivals to the Trafic include the Mercedes-Benz Vito, Vauxhall Vivaro, Citroen Dispatch, and Peugeot Expert.
Our Renault Trafic review covers:
- Aesthetic exterior design with bold front grille
- Pleasant and comfortable interior
- Up to 8.9m3 of load volume
- Three diesel engines
- Three trim levels
Pros:
- Good diesel engines
- Plenty of cargo space
- Pleasant interior
Cons:
- Infotainment system is not as modern as its rivals
- No electric option
The exterior of the Trafic is a good blend of modern aesthetics and practicality. It has a sleek and sporty design, including a bold front grille with sharp headlights, while there are creases along the body from front to back.
There's enough for three people inside the Trafic, and there's a decent amount of room wherever you're sitting. There's plenty of leg and headroom throughout, and the driver gets an adjustable steering wheel to accommodate their needs.
For storage, the Trafic comes with all your usual compartments, such as door bins, a glovebox, and a centre compartment. We really like the Renault Mobile Office feature, which folds down the middle passenger seat to reveal a table and laptop storage.
Depending on your specification, the Trafic can accommodate up to 8.9m3 of load volume and has a payload up to 1,251kg. In the rear, there's a generous number of lashing points, up to 18 in the longer version, to help keep all your precious cargo secure.
The interior of the Trafic is pleasant and comfortable. There's a nice range of plastics that make it much better than the old model, and there are a few premium features like chrome inserts dotted around the dashboard.
The Trafic comes standard with an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system with a DAB radio, Bluetooth, smartphone integration, and USB ports. On the mid-range Extra trim, you'll get a built-in satellite navigation system with connected technology.
Three trims are available for the Trafic: Advance, Extra, and Extra Sport.
Advance has 16-inch steel wheels, LED headlights, Kompo upholstery, manual air conditioning, a height-adjustable drivers seat, an eight-inch touchscreen, active emergency braking, driver attention alert, lane departure warning, and traffic sign recognition.
Extra adds 17-inch alloy wheels, a premium faux leather steering wheel, Java upholstery, interior LED cabin lighting, connected navigation services, automatic headlights and wipers, and a hands-free key card with a stop/start function.
Extra Sport adds 17-inch alloy wheels with black inserts, climate control, a rear parking camera, adaptive cruise control, and a 360-degree parking sensor.
Three 2.0-litre diesel engines are available for the Trafic, with a power output of 130hp, 150hp, and 170hp. They come with front-wheel drive and either a manual gearbox or dual-clutch automatic gearbox.
The entry-level version is pretty good, but we'd recommend going for the Blue dCi 150. Available with either a manual or dual-clutch automatic transmission, it offers good performance at both low and high speeds.
As expected, the Blue dCi 170 is the most powerful of the lot, returning a top speed of 116mph and shooting from 0-62mph in just over ten seconds.
For all the engines, fuel economy comes in at around 39mpg.
On the road, the Trafic is a decent van to drive. The diesel engines are excellent at low and high speeds, and both the manual and dual-clutch automatic gearboxes are smooth.
If you operate mainly around town, we'd recommend going for the automatic transmission. It takes the strain out of stop-start driving and shifts smoothly when accelerating.
At higher speeds, the Trafic is a more than capable cruiser. The engines get up to 70mph with relative ease, and when there, engine and road noise are kept to a minimum.
Prices for the new Renault Trafic start from £35,400.00 OTR* or to lease from £385.37 per month.
Looking to get behind the wheel of the Renault Trafic? Nationwide Vehicle Contracts is one of the UK's largest van leasing brokers and offers a range of leasing deals to suit your every need.
Leasing may be cheaper than an outright purchase, thanks to a low initial deposit and fixed monthly rentals.
*' On the road' price correct at time of publication and includes one year's road fund license, DVLA first registration fee and number plate fee. Prices are subject to change; always check with your nearest retailer.
