The awards, announced today (16 May) at a special ceremony held at the Royal Automobile Club, Pall Mall, London, are presented annually to those motor manufacturers who have, in the opinion of the judges, achieved the highest possible level of excellence in their sector.

The awards’ judging process combines the expert opinion of the Van Fleet World editorial team with the values provided by a number of leading leasing companies and fleet data providers.

The Van Fleet World Honours judging panel is chaired by John Kendall, editor of Van Fleet World, and includes Steve Moody, Alex Grant and Ross Durkin from the Fleet World editorial team.

'Fiat opened up a new market sector when it launched the Turkish-built Fiat Fiorino,' said Van Fleet World editor, John Kendall. 'Although launching the new model as the economy went into meltdown might not have been part of the original plan, it enabled the company to point fleets towards models that fitted in with the spirit of recessionary downsizing.

'A 2.5m3 capacity body and 660kg payload plus frugal 1.3-litre diesel engine suits many pockets and purposes, even if few will match the 80+mpg we’ve recorded on the MPG Marathon for the past few years.'

'Fiorino has enjoyed considerable success ever since it was launched, and continues to receive recognition and plaudits from both the experts and customers,” says Sebastiano Fedrigo, director, Fiat Professional UK. “It offers customers a winning combination of practicality, comfort, reliability and economy.

'We are delighted to receive this prestigious award from the Van Fleet World judges which provides further endorsement to Fiat Professional and its award-winning range of vehicles,' he added.

Manufactured at the Tofas plant in Bursa, Turkey, the Fiorino is part of a joint venture between Fiat and PSA, and is designed specifically to operate easily and efficiently in busy towns and cities. Capacity can be increased to 2.8m3 when the optional folding passenger seat is specified.

Euro 5 engines in the Fiorino range include a 95bhp 1.3- litre MultiJet II diesel, a 73bhp 1.4-litre 8v petrol unit and a 75bhp 1.3-litre MultiJet II diesel which has a Combined Cycle fuel consumption figure of 68.9mpg when fitted with the Comfort-matic gearbox.

Prices start at £9,775.00 (basic price) for the Fiorino Cargo Base 1.4 8V Petrol 75 rising to £13,625.00 (basic price) for the Fiorino Combi Adventure 5 Seat M1 1.3 MultiJet Diesel 95 Start&Stop.