Volkswagen Transporter L1H1 Kombi diesel
Volkswagen Transporter T32 Kombi Commerce Plus SWB 150PS 2.0 TDI 6-Speed Manual
The Volkswagen Transporter T32 Kombi Commerce Plus SWB 150PS 2.0 TDI 6-Speed Manual has a 150PS diesel engine, 35.8mpg official economy, a 1,153kg payload. List price £37,080 excluding VAT.
Diesel · medium van · L1 H1 · Kombi · on sale
Dimensions
Price
| List price (excluding VAT) | £37,080[2] |
|---|
Engine and economy
Load
Ownership
| Warranty | 5 Plus Promise standard: 5 years' warranty (earlier of 5 years or 124,000 miles) + 5 years' roadside assistance[1] |
|---|
Volkswagen Transporter L1H1 Kombi diesel price changes
No list price change recorded for the Volkswagen Transporter L1H1 Kombi diesel since THRIVE first recorded its price on 17 September 2026.
List prices excluding VAT, from the manufacturer's own UK price lists. A date marked "recorded" is the day THRIVE took in a new price list that carried no date of its own.
Compare the Volkswagen Transporter with
- Ford Transit Custom vs Volkswagen Transporter: price, payload, load space and size side by side
THRIVE verdict
A strong tow vehicle and capable crew-carrier, but payload and economy trail the medium-van pack.
This T32 Kombi is built to move people and kit together, and its braked towing of 2,500kg sits in the highest 10% of medium vans we track, well above the 2,000kg median. That makes it a genuine option for operators who need to pull a trailer regularly, not just carry a payload of 1,153kg, which itself is below the class median of 1,178kg.
At £37,080 ex VAT it undercuts the median medium van price of £37,950, so it isn't an expensive way into this segment. But its 35.8mpg sits in the lowest quarter of diesel medium vans we hold, against a 39.8mpg median, so fuel use will be heavier than most rivals over a year's work. The Renault Trafic LL30 Blue dCi, at £33,550 with 1,122kg payload, is worth weighing if towing isn't a priority.
Volkswagen also offers this body as the e-Transporter T32 Kombi Commerce Plus SWB, which after the Zero Emission Van Grant lists only £1,555 more but carries a notably lower payload of 884kg and tows 2,000kg. Running costs favour electric on depot or home charging but not on public rapid chargers, so the right choice depends on duty cycle and payload needs.
Best for
- Operators who regularly tow trailers alongside crew transport
- Businesses needing a kombi for mixed passenger and load duties
- Buyers wanting a medium van priced below the class median
Think twice
- Payload below the class median, check it covers your typical load
- Fuel economy in the lowest quarter for diesel medium vans
- The electric sister model trades payload for similar list price
Written 8 October 2026 from the verified figures on this page and the rest of the THRIVE database, and checked figure by figure before publishing. How we check
Other Volkswagen Transporter versions
| Version | Fuel | Payload | Range / economy | Price ex VAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volkswagen Transporter L1H1 diesel | Diesel | 1,351 kg | 34 mpg | £36,000 |
| Volkswagen Transporter L2H1 diesel | Diesel | 1,305 kg | 33.6 mpg | £36,875 |
| Volkswagen Transporter L2H1 Kombi diesel | Diesel | 1,131 kg | 35.8 mpg | £37,950 |
| Volkswagen Transporter L1H1 PHEV | Plug-in hybrid | 1,207 kg | 62.8 mpg | £38,155 |
| Volkswagen Transporter L2H1 PHEV | Plug-in hybrid | 1,162 kg | 62.8 mpg | £39,025 |
| Volkswagen e-Transporter L1H1 | Electric | 1,076 kg | 225 miles | £42,260 |
| Volkswagen e-Transporter L2H1 | Electric | 1,156 kg | 223 miles | £43,115 |
| Volkswagen e-Transporter L1H1 Kombi | Electric | 884 kg | 220 miles | £43,635 |
| Volkswagen e-Transporter L2H1 Kombi | Electric | 852 kg | 218 miles | £44,490 |
Every length, roof and fuel side by side, with a configurator, on the Volkswagen Transporter page.
What fits in the load area
| Euro pallets (1,200 x 800mm) | 2, in a single row |
|---|---|
| UK standard pallets (1,200 x 1,000mm) | 1, in a single row |
| 8 x 4 sheets (2,440 x 1,220mm) | Too long for the floor |
| Pipe, timber or ladders | Up to 1.6m on the floor |
Worked out from the verified floor length 1,632mm, 1,392mm between the wheel arches. At the full Euro pallet count, the payload allows about 570kg per pallet. Counts use the width between the wheel arches for the whole floor, so they never over-count. Door openings are not in our data: check the rear and side door apertures before relying on a count.
Could you go electric?
How this van compares with Volkswagen e-Transporter T32 Kombi Commerce Plus SWB 136PS 70 kWh Electric 1-Speed Automatic, the same body with the other powertrain, for a typical working day.
Electric could work: check the points below
- Range. 100 miles a day sits comfortably inside a planning range of about 154 miles, so an overnight charge covers the day.
- Payload. The electric version carries 269kg less (884kg against 1,153kg).
- Towing. Braked towing: 2,000kg electric, 2,500kg diesel.
- Energy. Charging at a small-business depot costs about 9.1p a mile against 21p for diesel: roughly £2,975 a year less at 25,000 miles.
- Price. The electric version lists for £1,555 more after the £5,000 zero emission van and truck grant, which the energy saving covers in about 0.5 years.
When the diesel is the more practical choice
- Loads that use the last 269kg of the diesel's payload.
- Towing more than 2,000kg.
How this is worked out
- Planning range is 70% of the official 220-mile WLTP figure, allowing for winter weather and a full load.
- Energy use 0.318 kWh a mile: the usable battery divided by the official range.
- Diesel 165.48p a litre excluding VAT (DESNZ, week of 2 November 2026); the Volkswagen Transporter T32 Kombi Commerce Plus SWB 150PS 2.0 TDI 6-Speed Manual's official 35.8mpg.
- Electricity: 28.59p/kWh at a small-business depot (DESNZ, excluding VAT), 26.32p at home as the driver pays (Ofgem price cap), 65.83p on public rapid chargers (Zapmap, excluding VAT).
- 250 working days a year. List prices exclude VAT and options; running costs exclude servicing, insurance, tax and residual values.
Indicative only: a guide to whether electric is worth a closer look, not a quote. For whole-fleet costs see fleet charging costs and van break-even.
Electric and diesel compared: L1 H1 · Kombi
| Diesel (this van) | Electric | |
|---|---|---|
| Spec | Volkswagen Transporter T32 Kombi Commerce Plus SWB 150PS 2.0 TDI 6-Speed Manual | Volkswagen e-Transporter T32 Kombi Commerce Plus SWB 136PS 70 kWh Electric 1-Speed Automatic |
| List price (ex VAT) | £37,080 | £43,635 |
| Payload | 1,153 kg | 884 kg |
| Load volume | - | - |
| Range / economy | 35.8 mpg | 220 miles |
| Towing (braked) | 2,500 kg | 2,000 kg |
Both at a typical fleet specification, from each manufacturer's UK price list; sources are on each van's page. For running costs per mile, see the Fleet Cost Index and van break-even.
Alternatives worth considering
- Direct competitorFord Transit Custom Trend 320 LWB Low Roof Van (L2 H1), 2.5L Duratec 232PS 1 Speed Automatic PHEV FWD£4,270 more.
- Direct competitorRenault Trafic Van LL30 Blue dCi 130 Advance Panel Van MY26.5£6,030 cheaper, 60kg less payload.
- Electric alternativeCitroën ë-Dispatch Panel Van XL Electric 136hp Automatic Enterprise (75kWh)Electric, 194-230 miles official range, £5,180 more.
- Direct competitorMercedes-Benz Vito 114 Van PRO L2 (Manual)£2,805 cheaper, 267kg less payload.
Chosen from published medium vans in the THRIVE database with a similar load area; reasons compare verified figures only.
Head to head: Volkswagen Transporter vs Ford Transit Custom
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Sources
3 documents: Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles UK, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles UK - Transporter price list (Issue: 20 July 2026)
- Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles UK, retrieved 5 October 2026. Supports: load length (at floor), load width (maximum), load width between wheel arches, overall length, overall width (excluding mirrors), official fuel economy, co2 emissions, fuel tank, test cycle, gross vehicle weight, payload, towing capacity (braked), warranty. Transporter brochure (current 2025-on generation; PDF modified 21 Jul 2026), p30 "Kombi dimensions"; diesel Kombi only (table does not name electric); SWB column; floor length behind the 2nd seat row (crew-van convention). NB the plan drawing shows 1,790/2,190 measured from the 2nd-row seat back (not at floor), a different measure, not used
- Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles UK, retrieved 17 September 2026. Supports: list price (excluding vat).
- Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles UK - Transporter price list (Issue: 20 July 2026), published 20 July 2026, retrieved 17 September 2026. Supports: engine power. PS as printed in the price-list derivative name; the brochure also prints '110 kW (150 PS)'. No conversion.
About these figures
- Specifications verified: 16 October 2026, against the manufacturer documents listed under Sources.
- Latest source added: 16 October 2026, the last time a figure on this page was added or corrected.
- Verdict written: 8 October 2026. It uses only the verified figures here and the THRIVE database; every number in it is checked against those figures, and it is rewritten only when they change.
Specifications vary by trim, engine, battery, length and roof height; these are for the Volkswagen Transporter T32 Kombi Commerce Plus SWB 150PS 2.0 TDI 6-Speed Manual as named, a typical fleet specification. Fuel economy is the official WLTP combined figure; real-world economy loaded will be lower. Check the manufacturer's current price list before ordering. If a figure here has changed, tell us on our corrections page.