Elevated Safety Standards: What the Gold Award Means
Euro NCAP’s shaken things up with its updated 2025 standards for light vans, and grabbing a Gold rating under these new rules is no mean feat. They’re not just looking at how a van handles a crash anymore—they also want to know how good it is at avoiding one in the first place. That means testing things like autonomous emergency braking (AEB), how well it looks out for cyclists and pedestrians, and what driver assistance kit it has on board.
The Townstar stood out thanks to its decent across-the-board results. It’s got a smart AEB system that uses both radar and cameras to help spot hazards, and in tests it did a solid job avoiding crashes. Euro NCAP gave it a near-perfect 14.5 out of 15 for speed assistance and 26.8 out of 30 for pedestrian and cyclist protection—figures that put it ahead of quite a few rivals in the same class.
Advanced Tech for Safer Urban Driving
You’re getting a lot of safety features with the Townstar—over 20, they say—including handy bits like Blind Spot Warning, Intelligent Emergency Braking, ProPILOT (a form of clever cruise control), lane assist, hands-free parking, and even a 360-degree camera view.
For a van, that’s pretty impressive. A lot of these gizmos are normally found on cars, not commercial vehicles, especially ones at this kind of budget.
What’s more, all this tech has been put through its paces under Euro NCAP’s newer, tougher 2025 rules. Those are based more on how vans actually get used in real life—think delivery work and jobs in busy towns and cities—so you know these features aren’t just for show.
UK-Spec Townstar EV: Practical and Efficient
The Nissan Townstar EV, which took over from the old e-NV200 in March 2023, is built with city driving in mind. With its 45 kWh battery, it’s got enough juice to officially go up to 183 miles on the WLTP cycle. And if you’re mostly sticking to slow city routes, you could see as much as 269 miles—more than enough to last a full workday.
When the battery runs low, charging options are flexible. It supports 11kW and 22kW AC charging, and thanks to 80kW DC rapid charging, you can top it up from 15 to 80% in about 37 minutes. Ideal if you’re grabbing lunch between stops.
Despite being electric, the practical stuff hasn’t taken a hit. You can haul up to 800 kg, fit in 3.3 to 4.3 cubic metres of stuff, and even tow up to 1,500 kg, so it still does the job.
A Safe Bet for Fleet Buyers
Bottom line? The Nissan Townstar ticks a lot of boxes. That Euro NCAP Gold award, the decent electric driving range, and proper safety tech make it a solid shout if you’re looking for one of the best and safest small vans for 2025 in the UK.
Whether you’re shuttling goods, sending out engineers, or doing council work, the Townstar brings car-like protection and features into van life—without rinsing your budget. Worth a look, for sure.
