Transporter T5, T5.1, T6, T6.1, T26, T28, T30, T32 explained

Unsure which Transporter model you have? 

Transporters manufactured from 2004 to the end of 2009 are designated as a T5

Transporters manufactured from early 2010 to 2015 are designated as a T5.1

Transporters manufactured from 2015 to 2019 are designated as a T6

Transporters manufactured from 2019 to 2024 are designated as a T6.1

The T5 was produced from 2004. In 2010 the T5 received a facelift, featuring sleeker bumpers, lights and bonnet, this facelift model is known as a T5.1

In 2015 VW released the T6, this was a huge improvement over the previous models with big alterations being made to the vans appearance, comfort and drivability.

In 2019 the T6.1 was released and again it improved on the previous T6 model. The T6.1 has neat little tweaks to the style but most notably it drives just like a modern car thanks to the various stability controllers and latest safety equipment. Production of the T6.1 stopped in 2023/2024.

So what is a T28 then? 

The aforementioned T5, T5.1, T6 and T6.1 come in various maximum permissible weight limits. This limit is denoted by a number like T26, T27, T28, T30 or T32. This refers to the vans maximum permissible road weight in kg (i.e a T26 = 2600kg max weight, a T28 = 2800 kg max weight, T30 = 3000kg max, a T32 has the highest load carrying capacity at 3200kg)

A T26 Transporter will be close to or even over its maximum permissible limit if it has a full conversion (kitchen, poptop, rock & roll bed etc) A T28, T30, or T32 is a much better base van. 

There is a 4Motion (4 wheel drive) version available in all Transporter models.

AdBlue Euro6 compliance was introduced during the 3rd quarter of 2016. The VW Transporters that have AdBlue are denoted BMT or Blue Motion.