Peugeot Expert vs LDV Deliver 9

What's the difference?

Mid-sized (2.5 to 3.5-tonne) commercial van buyers have a variety of makes and models to choose from, even though most buy the venerable HiAce.

Latest VFACTS figures confirm Toyota’s long-standing dominance, as the HiAce commands just under 40 per cent market share with the remainder spread across ten competitors from Europe, China and Korea.

One of those is Peugeot’s Expert, which is available with a choice of wheelbases, transmissions and model grades. It currently represents just 1.3 per cent of sales in this segment, so we recently spent a week behind the wheel to see how it compares to the market leader.

There are currently 14 rivals competing for customers in the Light Duty or LD (3501-8000kg GVM) segment of Australia’s heavy commercial vehicle market. Business buyers and fleet operators are thick on the ground here and competition for their business is fierce.

Chinese brand LDV, a division of the huge SAIC Motor conglomerate which is now the seventh largest automotive company in the world, recently joined this battle with its new Deliver 9 van range that’s priced to entice. We spent a week aboard one to see how LDV’s claim of superior value stacks up when there’s work to be done.