MellowVans launches in UK at Commercial Vehicle Show 2026
MellowVans, a South African firm specialising in urban logistics, has launched in the UK at this year’s Commercial Vehicle Show at the NEC in Birmingham.
The company’s debut UK vehicle is called the MellowVan, a compact electric van designed for cross-city and last-mile operations. The MellowVan has covered a total of 1.5 million operational miles across global logistics and retail fleets run by the likes of DHL, DPD, and Spar.
The MellowVan is designed to meet tightening emissions regulations, rapid e-commerce growth, and rising operational costs. For reference, MellowVans promises the MellowVan can achieve 61% TCO savings against the Ford E-Transit Courier, and 55% against the Volkswagen Caddy. Over three years, it will also reduce fleet monthly running costs from £2,400 to £7,500 compared to small electric-only panel vans.
In terms of range and load-lugging capabilities, the MellowVan has a 70-mile range and can be charged using a standard wall socket. It has 2m³ of cargo capacity and can be driven with a standard driving licence to speed up driver onboarding and fleet deployment. Its compact, three-wheel layout is designed specifically for stop-and-go urban inner-city environments where regular-sized vans often struggle due to their dimensions.
In terms of design, the MellowVan’s high-visibility panels can be finished with company colours and logos to maximise branding in population-dense and traffic-heavy environments. MellowVans is reportedly in talks with logistics operators, retailers, and fleet partners to roll out pilot programmes and early deployment in several key cities across the UK, including London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Bristol.
It is expected that e-commerce, grocery, delivery, and service fleets will be among the heaviest early adopters, and a dealership network is currently under development.
At the MellowVans launch event, company managing director, Japie van Niekerk, said: “Urban delivery is being reshaped by electrification, but many fleets are still trying to solve a new problem with old tools. Traditional vans are simply not designed for the economics of dense city delivery.
“With MellowVan, we’ve developed a purpose-built vehicle that allows operators to electrify their fleets in a way that is both practical and commercially compelling. By delivering substantial operating cost savings compared to small electric and ICE vans, while maintaining the performance fleets need, we are enabling a fundamentally better way to move goods in cities.
“Our UK launch is a major milestone for the business, and we’re excited to work with forward-thinking fleet operators to demonstrate how MellowVans can transform urban
delivery operations.”
