Van platform twins: which “different” vans are actually the same vehicle
· 7 min read
Of the 27 vans in the planner, 18 are six vehicles wearing different badges. A Peugeot Boxer is a Fiat Ducato. A MAN TGE is a VW Crafter. A Toyota ProAce is a Peugeot Expert. Same floor, same wheel arches, same door apertures, same roof heights — to the millimetre, because they roll off the same line. And the one pair everyone assumes is a twin, Sprinter and Crafter, has not been one since 2016.
This matters for exactly one reason: you cross-shop on price and availability, but you design on interior dimensions. If two badges share a body, a layout for one fits the other without changing a cut, and the cheaper used example wins. If they do not — and the badge alone will not tell you — you are comparing two different vans. Below is the map, with the interior numbers from the same van database that drives the planner.
The six shared bodies
One representative size per family; the per-van pages list every variant. Interior figures are cargo length behind the cab, width between the walls (not between the arches) and floor-to-headliner height. Payload is plated gross mass minus kerb weight, a planning figure.
| Body | Sold as | Size shown | Interior L × W × H | Payload |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sevel large van (Italy) | Fiat Ducato, Peugeot Boxer, Citroën Relay (Jumper outside the UK), RAM ProMaster | L3H2 | 3.71 × 1.87 × 1.93 m | 1,405 kg |
| Renault large van (France) | Renault Master, Vauxhall/Opel Movano (2010–2021), Nissan NV400 / Interstar | L3H2 FWD | 3.73 × 1.76 × 1.87 m | 1,309 kg |
| VW large van (Poland) | VW Crafter, MAN TGE | L3H3 | 3.45 × 1.83 × 1.96 m | 1,255 kg |
| Renault mid-size van (France) | Renault Trafic, Vauxhall/Opel Vivaro (2014–2019), Nissan NV300 / Primastar, Fiat Talento (2016–2020) | L2H1 | 2.94 × 1.66 × 1.38 m | 1,304 kg |
| Stellantis mid-size van (France) | Peugeot Expert, Citroën Dispatch/Jumpy, Toyota ProAce, Fiat Scudo (2022 on), Vauxhall/Opel Vivaro (2019 on) | M | 2.51 × 1.63 × 1.40 m | 1,320 kg |
| Mercedes mid-size van (Spain) | Mercedes-Benz Vito, Mercedes-Benz Metris (North America) | L2H1 | 2.83 × 1.67 × 1.38 m | 1,130 kg |
The other nine vans in the planner — Sprinter, Transit, Transit Custom, Daily, Transporter, HiAce, Transit Connect, Caddy and Berlingo — are single-badge bodies in the generations the planner models. (The Sprinter is sold as a Freightliner in North America; same van, same numbers.)
The pair that is not a pair: Sprinter and Crafter
The first-generation Crafter (2006–2016) was a Sprinter with VW badges, built by Mercedes. The current Crafter (2017 on) is Volkswagen’s own body, shared only with the MAN TGE. The forum wisdom that “a Crafter is a cheap Sprinter” is a decade out of date, and the two shells disagree where it hurts:
- Height. A Crafter H2 is 1.73 m inside; a Sprinter H2 is 1.91–1.94 m. That is a 20 cm difference under the same “H2” label — the Crafter’s standing roof starts at H3 (1.96 m). The full breakdown is in the standing-height table.
- Width. The Crafter is 1.83 m between the walls, the Sprinter 1.79 m. Four centimetres is the margin between a transverse bed for a 1.80 m sleeper fitting with wall flares and not fitting at all.
- Length labels. A Sprinter L2 (5.93 m outside, 3.27 m of cargo) lines up with a Crafter L3 (5.99 m, 3.45 m), and a Sprinter L3 (6.97 m, 4.31 m) with a Crafter L4 (6.84 m, 4.30 m). Compare metres, not letters.
Badges that switched bodies
Rebadging deals expire, and several names moved to a different shell mid-life. If you are buying used, the year decides which van you actually get:
- Vauxhall/Opel Movano: Renault Master until 2021, Fiat Ducato from 2021. Inside that is 1.76 vs 1.87 m of width — an 11 cm difference between two vans with the same name.
- Vauxhall/Opel Vivaro: Renault Trafic 2014–2019, Peugeot Expert from 2019. The Expert body is 3 cm narrower and, at its tallest, 1.44 m high against the Trafic’s optional 1.91 m high roof — there is no high-roof Vivaro after 2019.
- Nissan: NV400 became Interstar in 2022 and NV300 became Primastar in 2021; both stayed on their Renault bodies. Fiat’s Talento (a Trafic, 2016–2020) was replaced by the Scudo (an Expert, 2022 on).
- Ford Transit Connect: Ford’s own body until 2022, a VW Caddy from 2022. VW Transporter: VW’s own T6.1 until 2024, a Ford Transit Custom from the T7 on. The planner models the earlier generation of each.
What a twin shares, and what it does not
Shared: the pressed steel. Floor length and width, wheel-arch boxes, the slider and rear apertures, roof heights, wheelbase, wall taper. That is everything a layout depends on, which is why the planner stores each family once and lists the badges as separate entries only so you can find yours.
Not shared: engines and gearboxes (which move the kerb weight by tens of kilograms between badges and between years), the plated gross mass in some markets (a ProMaster is rated differently from a European Ducato), trim, warranty, dealer network, and — the reason this post exists — price. The planner uses one kerb weight per family, so treat its payload as the family figure and re-check against the plate of the van in front of you; the payload guide covers what to read off the plate.
How to use this when buying
- Design for the body, not the badge: pick the family whose interior fits your layout (the dimensions comparison ranks all of them), then shop every badge in that row.
- Check the year against the list above before trusting a name — a 2020 and a 2022 Movano are different vans.
- Once the van is bought, the layout you built for the donor badge in the planner carries over unchanged; only the plated weights need re-entering.
FAQ
Is the Mercedes Sprinter the same van as the VW Crafter?
Not any more. The first Crafter (2006–2016) was a rebadged Sprinter built by Mercedes. The current Crafter (2017 on) is Volkswagen's own body, shared only with the MAN TGE, and the interiors differ: a Crafter H2 is 1.73 m high inside against 1.91–1.94 m for a Sprinter H2, and the Crafter is 4 cm wider between the walls (1.83 vs 1.79 m).
Are the Fiat Ducato, Peugeot Boxer, Citroën Relay/Jumper and RAM ProMaster the same van?
Yes — one body from the Sevel plant in Italy under four badges. Every length, roof height, door opening and wheel arch is identical, so an L3H2 gives 3.71 × 1.87 × 1.93 m inside whichever badge is on the grille. Engines, plated gross mass by market and price differ; the shell does not.
Is the Vauxhall/Opel Vivaro a Renault Trafic or a Peugeot Expert?
Depends on the year. The 2014–2019 Vivaro is a Trafic (2.94 × 1.66 m inside at L2, 1.38 m high with the low roof). The 2019-on Vivaro is a Peugeot Expert / Toyota ProAce / Citroën Dispatch twin (2.86 × 1.63 × 1.44 m at XL) — a different, lower body.
Is the Vauxhall/Opel Movano a Renault Master or a Fiat Ducato?
Both, by generation. Movano B (2010–2021) is a Renault Master; Movano C (2021 on) is a Fiat Ducato. The difference inside is 11 cm of width: 1.76 m between the walls in the Master, 1.87 m in the Ducato.
Does a layout designed for one twin fit the other?
Yes, to the millimetre — the same body means the same floor, arches, door apertures and roof. What can differ is the payload: badge-specific engines shift the kerb weight by tens of kilograms, and plated gross mass differs by market, so re-check weight on the plate of the actual van.
