Nissan Navara vs Renault Trafic

What's the difference?

Developing a new motor vehicle from scratch costs billions which is why manufacturers are increasingly sharing vehicle platforms and technology to spread these ever-increasing costs across two (or more) strategically aligned automotive brands.

This ‘badge engineering’ strategy is becoming popular in the light-commercial vehicle (LCV) segment as evidenced by partnerships between Ford and Volkswagen with their Ranger/Amarok and Transit Custom/Transporter pairings, Isuzu and Mazda with their D-Max/BT-50 duo and Chinese contenders MG and LDV with their U9/Terron 9 tie-up.

Mitsubishi and Nissan have recently established a similar relationship, with Mitsubishi’s Triton donating its underpinnings for the latest Nissan Navara. We recently spent a week with Nissan’s new entry-level model grade to assess its credentials from a tradie’s perspective.

Australia’s mid-size (2.5-3.5 tonne GVM) commercial van market currently features nine brands competing for sales against Toyota’s staggeringly popular HiAce, which now represents almost 60 per cent of vehicles sold in this segment.

One of those competitors is the Renault Trafic which in 2026 brings a suite of technical upgrades designed to deliver enhanced economy, lower emissions, greater towing capacity and improved driver comfort and convenience.

With June approaching, traditionally the biggest month of the year for commercial vehicle sales, we recently spent a week in Renault’s latest offering to find out if it represents a compelling alternative to the HiAce for tradies and other commercial van users.