With thousands of entrepreneurial Britons choosing to start up their own businesses every year, the market for small vans remains strong.

Here, we pick a selection of some of the most economical vans you should consider acquiring to help boost your business.

The FIAT Fiorino

Popular with businesses and fleets, Fiat's Fiorino has a generous specification with up to 660 kg payload and 2.5 cubic metres load volume, which may be increased to 2.8 cubic metres in conjunction with the optional, folding passenger seat.

Running costs and emissions are kept to an absolute minimum, thanks to Fiat's latest MultiJet II technology. The 75bhp 1.3-litre MultiJet II diesel has a Combined Cycle fuel consumption figure of 68.9mpg when fitted with the Comfort-matic gearbox.

With CO2 emissions of 109g/km, road tax will cost drivers a mere £20 annually.

Priced from £16,051, the Fiat Fiorino is economical to run, agile in traffic, easy to park and inexpensive to repair. It occupies a unique position in the small van segment, setting new standards of practicality, refinement and durability in the ultra-compact urban LCV market.

Vauxhall Combo Crew

Priced at £18,957 for the 1.3 CDTi 16v 2300 L1H1 90PS ecoFLEX Start/Stop model, the Vauxhall Combo Crew is a great small van for couriers, electricians, plumbers and small tradesmen.

Topping the sales charts in March and April as well as September, Vauxhall’s van sales have been buoyed by the offer of four years’ zero per cent APR finance, four years’ free servicing, a four year warranty and four years of AA cover.

The attraction of more affordable van insurance from companies including Aviva is fuelling the rise in the popularity of Vauxhall’s LCV range. Find out more about van insurance. 

This model can achieve 58mpg but will set you back £105 annually for road tax alone.

Building over 70,000 vehicles alone last year at its plants in Luton and Ellesmere Port, Vauxhall is the UK’s largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles.  The latest edition to the multi award-winning Vauxhall Commercial Vehicles range, the all-new Combo, launched earlier last year.

VW Caddy Maxi

The VW Caddy Maxi 1.6 TDI 102PS C20 BlueMotion Technology will cost you £19,254 and while it is dearer and will cost £125 annually for road tax, it is a more stylish alternative for those who wish to avoid ordinary-looking vans.

Costing around 11.6 pence per mile to run, and with a fuel economy of 54mpg, the internal storage capacity is more than adequate for the needs of most tradesmen.