2026 Renault Trafic review

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The Renault Trafic has received further upgrades after a decade on sale in Australia – and they’ve been worthwhile.

French commercial van (still with diesel engine but a new automatic transmission) is the most stringent current emissions test vehicle and still operates under its own brand of auto, which has been tested by many critics.

Similarly, in recent years it has scored a lot of standard safety technology and is easier to live with than some competitors.

But is this mid-size delivery van still competitive in its class, especially given the price? Find out by reading on.

How much does the Renault Trafic cost?

There are a number of options in the Trafic range, and as with most of the work vans on the market there’s ‘level of customisation that is available too.

| Model | Price before on-road costs |
| — | — |
| 2026 Renault Trafic SWB Pro | $52,990 |
| 2026 Renault Trafic LWB Pro | $54,990 |
| 2026 Renault Trafic SWB Premium | $56,990 |
| 2026 Renault Trafic LWB Premium | $57,990 |
| 2026 Renault Trafic LWB Crew Lifestyle | $64,990 |

You’re an ABN holder so you can get better deals, so just call around and see if you could score a deal.

To see how the Renault Trafic lines up against the competition, check out our
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What is the Renault Trafic like on the inside?

Renault’s Trafic van has always had a clever cabin design for business buyers.

There’s a good amount of loose-item storage available, and some surprising inclusions that make it both user-friendly and fleet/business friendly.

Its middle seat is one of my favourite interior features in this van – it can fold down when you don’t need it, so you can work between you and your passenger.

And that’s also a removable clipboard, where it is placed to allow you to write notes or your passenger can be on the side of paraphrasing. A cupholder is also in front of that area too, as does a .

Then you can also turn up the seat bases of the bench seat to use some secret hidden storage, which is certainly useful for keeping equipment away from prying eyes.

A good storage solution is also available throughout the cab, with cupholders on top of the dashboard, an open section above the media screen in the middle of dash with USB ports and a closable area above instrument binnacle – although it is slightly finicky to open.

A van like this is unusual, as there is no overhead storage and no vanity mirrors; you do get an auto-dimming rear-vision mirror (which doesn’t seem normal for a to be the case). It also has a wide-view reflective mirror to help you see next to the van from behind your seat, because there is no rear side window as standard.

The trim in the interior feels good quality but durable, and everything feels sturdy but strongly put together.

You get a leather-lined steering wheel, but some of the controls on the wheel – or off the steering column take some learning. There are weird buttons here and there, it’s a French thing with strange buttons but pretty easy to get your head around.

grippable dials for your climate system, and just below the screen there are a couple of quick buttons when you want to jump into different drive modes or turn off the engine idle-stop system.

Depending on the system systems you can use, in the screen you’ll see a lot of depth for your own; but wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are available. When it comes to radio there’s FM, AM and digital.

Perhaps the biggest frustration with that is lack of a physical volume knob or any buttons – so you have to use the menu panel on the side, which has ‘touch-sensitive control system’.

There are multiple storage zones in the doors as well as seat comfort for the driver, and notably seats is very good. That’s a bad bench side, either way, for .

A lot of tie-down points are in the cargo zone to secure items, at floor level and up higher. Standard painted floor may be slightly slippery, but there are options to make it a bit grippier (although the standard paint floor is also available).

A hidden hatch at the bottom with a magnetised flap is also available in bulkhead area, useful when you have to load through longer items such as conduit. A flap that opens up on the seat base (but if you do so, then front window seat won’t be usable) allows you to load stuff pretty much all the way to the firewall.

For example, the barn–door rear-end has 180 degrees of opening (help to forking items in), and the single sliding side door means you’ll be able to do kerb-side drop-offs.

Under the rear cargo floor is a spare wheel, too.

| Dimensions | Trafic SWB | Trafic LWB |
| — | — | — |
| Length | 5080mm | 5480mm |
| Width | 1956mm | 1956mm |
| Height | 1971mm | 1967mm |
| Wheelbase | 3098mm | 3498mm |
| Load space length | 2537mm | 2937mm |
| Load space width | 1662mm | 1662mm |
| Load space height | 1387mm | 1387mm |
| Load space volume (not including load-thru port) | 5.65m | 6.55m |
| Load space volume (including load-thru port) | 5.8m | 6.7m |

If you want all the nitty gritty info and images of the load blueprints, check out the Renault Trafic’s official brochure.

To see how the Renault Trafic lines up against the competition, check out our
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What’s under the bonnet?

The new Trafic range has a new nine-speed auto managing proceedings, but you’ll see the same turbo-diesel engine under the bonnet of the latest version. Similarly, the entry-level manual variant has been dumped, as has its introduction to .

| Specifications | Renault Trafic |
| — | — |
| Engine | 2.0L 4cyl turbo-diesel |
| Power | 125kW @ 3500rpm |
| Torque | 380Nm @ 1500rpm |
| Transmission | 9-speed auto |
| Drive type | Front-wheel drive |
| Weight | 1811-1816kg – SWB 1840-1844kg – LWB |
| Fuel economy (claimed) | 6.2L/100km |
| Fuel economy (as tested) | 7.6L/100km |
| Fuel tank capacity | 80L |
| Fuel requirement | Diesel |
| CO2 emissions | 163g/km |
| Emissions standard | Euro 6 |
| Braked tow capacity | 2500kg |

What’s impressive here is that the Trafic is considerably lighter than, say, the Volkswagen Transporter and Ford Transit Custom, and that means it hits harder when it comes to the power/torque to weight ratio.

The Trafic is a bit better on juice, as it’s lighter than being lighter (see the weights and capacities above) but when it comes to load capability you’re still heavy-hitter.

I can see the official fuel consumption number, but on test I couldn’t quite get that low a figure (even though I left the fuel-saving idle-stop function on at all times). I watched 7 paraphrasing. The combination of urban, highway and traffic-driven driving (including 7L/100km) is a mix of city, road and vehicle .

This powertrain is interesting because it has Euro 6 emissions compliance, which means AdBlue – but with an enormous Ad Blue tank at 24. Hence in theory, 7 litres are the longest time between services.

To see how the Renault Trafic lines up against the competition, check out our
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How does the Renault Trafic drive?

During the last few weeks I’ve been driving a couple of vans, including the new and much-loved Ford Transit Custom and Volkswagen Transporter.

I came to the Trafic with a little expectation, as it’s been on sale in its current generation for over ten years.

But I was pleasantly surprised with the way the Renault has held up since it was released here ages ago.

Over that period of course, things have changed (including the fact we now receive a 2). New nine-speed auto for 0-litre turbo-diesel with a new seven- speed car .

In 2015, the Trafic launched here with a 1-frameframer for ‘in. The 6L turbo-diesel and a six-speed manual were preceded by ‘A six speed dual-clutch (EDC) auto was added in 2019, next to the 2 with an additional 6-Speed dual–cluTch. 0-litre petrol engine.

Now it’s nine-speeder handling proceedings and I have to say that this means a day–to-day driving experience, less hesitation at lower speeds than the old dual-clutch unit.

The gearbox is clever at its reaction speeds, and it also provides smooth & intuitive shifts as well as the ability to make simple changes. When I was testing the van, I didn’t really have any slacks with it. If you think you can do better job than there are paddle shifters to take matters into your hands?

But, as I said ‘It’s pretty impressive to me from a powertrain point of view here.

The lack of lag from a standstill, especially when you leave that idle-stop (if you don’t like it), there is – in fact, he has pressed. It is a bit of lag, too, for the engine but it goes along great once the turbo is being spooling.

Besides that it has a higher power-to-weight ratio than many of its competitors, the Trafic is pretty perky.

But it’s a very good ride quality to its own powertrain beyond the power train. It’s a good comfort and control over bumps, even the short-wheelbase version with no weight in the back is completely comfortable to drive around on – or daily.

When you add a load things feel slightly different, but it is very strong and handles with hardly any complaint of cargo when adding. This van’s payload figures for this are very impressive, and the pay load figures of this van are a great deal of cool.

The steering feels good at highway speeds and is predictable at low speeds, but can be a little heavy when you’re trying to make slam on the road while driving down.

It’s not too loud in the cabin, it’re a welcome thing to have that steel partition between the cockpit and the cargo zone; we are very grateful there is.

In terms of visibility, there is a good set of mirrors with ‘convex outer zone to help you (especially if you buy the cheaper model and miss out on blind-spot monitoring system) and the wide-view mirror on the passenger’s sun-visor is more useful than you may realise – especially in tight spots.

This camera is not as good as the reversing camera, which has been particularly hard to handle mixed light situations and just seems less clear than some others in the segment.

Overall, the Trafic delivers a solid driving experience – probably better than you might expect.

To see how the Renault Trafic lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool

What do you get?

See below for the optional packages available across the Trafic range.

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2026 Renault Trafic Pro equipment highlights:

• 16-inch steel wheels
• Full-size steel spare wheel
• Updated Renault badging
• Automatic LED headlights
• Automatic high-beam
• Heated side mirrors
• 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• 4.2-inch instrument cluster screen
• DAB+ digital radio
• Wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto
• 2-speaker sound system
• Cloth upholstery
• Leatherette steering wheel trim
• 8-way manually adjustable driver’s seat
• Fixed passenger seat bench
• Bulkhead with glazed window
• Passenger work station bench (van only)
• Keyless entry

Trafic Premium adds:

• LED cabin lighting
• 7.0-inch instrument cluster screen
• Half-painted rear bumper
• Painted tail-light column

Trafic Crew Lifestyle adds:

• Painted side body moulding
• Fully painted rear bumper
• Under-seat storage (rear seats)

To see how the Renault Trafic lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool

Options

For example, if you want to build your Trafic according to your own specifications here are the optional packages available preconfigured models may cost a deal but they’re also in line with their original specs.

2026 Renault Trafic Pro options:

• Unglazed window on right sliding door: $800
• Glazed windows on rear barn doors (180-degree opening): $400
• 17-inch alloy wheels: $1000

Trafic Pro Trade Pack: $2000

• Anti-slip wooden flooring
• Full-height cargo area wall lining
• Heavy-duty battery
• Anti-theft spare wheel basket
• LED ceiling lights

Trafic Pro Peace of Mind Pack: $1200

• Front and side parking sensors
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Traffic sign recognition
• Power-folding door mirrors

Trafic Pro Comfort Pack: $1200

• Front fog lights
• Tyre-pressure warning
• Rain-sensing wipers
• Credit card-style sensor key and push-button start

2026 Renault Trafic Premium options:

• Glazed tailgate window: No cost
• No right sliding door: No cost
• Left and right sliding doors with glazed windows (N/A with Trade Pack): $400
• 17-inch alloy wheels (N/A with Business Pack): $1000

Trafic Premium Trade Pack: $2000

• Anti-slip wooden flooring
• Full-height cargo area wall lining
• Heavy-duty battery
• Anti-theft spare wheel basket
• LED ceiling lights

Trafic Premium Business Pack: $2200

• Climate control air-conditioning
• Factory-tinted rear windows
• 17-inch alloy wheels
• Heated driver’s seat
• Satellite navigation
• Over-speed prevention
• Painted door mirror covers
• Painted body-side mouldings
• Fully painted rear bumper

2026 Renault Trafic Lifestyle options:

• Tailgate with glazed window: No cost

To see how the Renault Trafic lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool

Is the Renault Trafic safe?

The Renault Trafic received a ‘Gold’ rating from ANCAP in its testing of commercial vehicle safety assistance, with 69 per cent back in 2024.

This is based on the van that scored zero stars from ANCAP in 2021, when it was wearing a Mitsubishi badge and sold as the Express. It was a model of that model and earlier Trafic models, but no advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) were available.

Despite its safety tech-rich counterpart, this is also equipped with an “ADAS” button which lets the driver turn on or off as they see fit.” This can be customised, with lane keeping adjustments and speed sign recognition (as well as driver monitoring and more) in the experience.

Standard safety equipment includes:

• Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
• Pedestrian detection
• Cyclist detection
• Lane departure warning
• Cruise control
• Driver attention monitor
• Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) shortcut button
• QR rescue code
• Rear parking sensors
• Reversing camera

Buyers who go for the Premium variant get additional tech that is optionally available in the Pro grade for $1200:

• Blind spot monitoring
• Traffic sign recognition
• Front and side parking sensors

All Trafic vehicles come with six airbags – dual front, front side and curtain coverage.

To see how the Renault Trafic lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool

How much does the Renault Trafic cost to run?

One of the big deal-makers here could be the servicing requirements and the warranty inclusions.

| Servicing and Warranty | Renault Trafic |
| — | — |
| Warranty | 5 years, unlimited kilometres |
| Roadside assistance | 5 years |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 30,000km |
| Capped-price servicing | 5 years, $649 each |
| Total capped-price service cost | $3245 |

The fact that those huge servicing intervals may sound scary to some, but the reality is they mean far less downtime than other vans with needier servicing requirements – especially for people who spend much time in their Trafic in traffic.

To see how the Renault Trafic lines up against the competition, check out our
comparison tool

childcareman.xyz’s Take on the Renault Trafic

It’s not the best van in the segment, but the Trafic is not too far off.

The French van, which is a pretty decent thing to drive and has sexy grunt for this class, is quite good.

If you can find an even better deal than the list price, you could be on to a winner.

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