The Ford Transit Passenger van is your go-to vehicle when you need to haul people instead of cargo. It seats up to 15, and has a lot of the modern technology you'll find in a regular passenger car. Primary competitors include the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, the Chevrolet Express, and the GMC Savana. The 2026 Ford Transit Passenger van is available in XL and XLT trims, and comes with low, medium, and high roof options as well as long and extended wheelbases.
2026 Ford Transit Passenger Pricing, Specs, and Release Date
- What’s New for the 2026 Ford Transit Passenger
- Design
- Powertrain
- Interior
- Technology
- Safety
- Pricing and Release Date
- Further Research
What’s New for the 2026 Ford Transit Passenger
The Ford Transit Passenger van receives a digital refresh for 2026. New features include an 8-inch cluster display, a 12-inch infotainment screen with Sync 4, standard Ford Co-Pilot 360, available Co-Pilot 360 2.0, and a 5G modem that provides a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to 10 devices. Outside, there are new exterior badges, new rear taillights, and new exterior paint colors.
Design
The 2026 Ford Transit Passenger van has an upright stance to accommodate occupants accessing the rear rows. The XL and XLT trims have black and body-colored front bumpers respectively, and while black, white, and gray are the standard exterior colors, alternatives are available in the form of Metallic Blue ($300) and Racing Red. All Transit models have all-season tires wrapped around 16-inch wheels. There are no appearance packages, but running boards and privacy glass are optional.
Powertrain
The standard powertrain is a naturally aspirated 275-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 engine, and a turbocharged EcoBoost V6 is available with 300 hp (the latter is standard with the extended wheelbase). The Transit is rear-wheel drive (RWD) as standard, all-wheel drive (AWD) is available, and regardless of engine or drivetrain, the only transmission is a 10-speed automatic. A 25-gallon fuel tank is standard but a 31-gallon tank is available. Due to its weight, the Transit is not subject to EPA fuel economy ratings, though various websites estimate fuel economy at between 15 and 20 mpg, depending on powertrain and city vs. highway driving. Maximum towing capacity is between 4,000 and 4,500 pounds depending on the engine and drivetrain.
Interior
The 2026 Transit Passenger van can be configured to accommodate 12 or 15 people. Gray cloth seats are standard and gray vinyl is available. Headroom varies depending on roof height, registering up to 40.8, 52.0, and 56.6 inches on low, medium, and high roofs respectively. If you’re maxing out the passenger space with the extended wheelbase and the high roof, you’ll see a total capacity of 100.5 cubic feet behind the fifth row. In terms of minimum capacities, there are 48.9 cubic feet behind the fourth row of the long-wheelbase Transit Passenger with the low roof.
Technology
One of the huge selling points of the 2026 Ford Transit Passenger van is the amount of standard and available technology. The base XL has a standard 12-inch infotainment screen with Ford’s Sync 4 with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, automatic rain-sensing wipers, push-button start, a 5G modem that connects up to 10 devices to Wi-Fi, and cruise control. Available features include adaptive cruise control, a keyless entry key pad, a mirror with a rearview camera, and passive entry.
Safety
The 2026 Ford Transit Passenger van comes standard with lane-keep assist, automatic emergency braking with pre-collision assist, front and rear parking sensors, automatic high-beam headlights, driver alert, intersection assist, and post-collision braking. Available features include a 360-degree camera, blind-spot monitors, rear cross-traffic alert, lane centering, side parking sensors, and automatic reverse braking. Neither the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) nor the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) had crash-tested the 2026 Transit Passenger van. However, the NHTSA gave the 2025 model an overall safety rating that ranged between two and four out of five stars, depending on roof height and passenger capacity. The 12-passenger, high-roof model received the lowest score, and the 12-passenger, low-roof model earned the highest score. Everything else scored three stars.
Pricing and Release Date
The 2026 Ford Transit Passenger van is already on sale. At the time of writing, Ford listed the base price for the long-wheelbase, low-roof XL model at $60,110, including a $2,095 destination charge. The EcoBoost engine adds $2,800 and AWD adds an additional $4,200. The medium roof adds $1,110 to the base. The high roof isn’t available with the long wheelbase and comes only with the extended wheelbase with a base price of $65,765. The XLT trim adds $2,925 to the bottom line, for which the base price is $63,035.
