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If you're fed up with being heavily taxed on your choice of pick-up and really do use this class of vehicle as part of your job, then you should be interested in this more practical version of Isuzu's D-Max, the V-Cross Commercial. As long as you don't need rear seats in a double cab pick-up, it makes a lot of sense.
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Background
Since April 2025, pick-up owners have been having to pay larger amounts of tax because their double cab models have a back seat and could therefore be used privately. But how many double cab pick-up owners do you know who regularly use the back seat? Not that many we're guessing - which is something of a waste, not only for tax reasons but also because that back seat takes up a lot of space that could otherwise be used for the cargo bay.
You could buy single cab pick-up of course, but there aren't many of those left on the market and the ones are only available with poverty levels of spec. And anyway, what if you as a pick-up owner have something different in mind for the space usually occupied in a double cab for back seats? Something covered and more secure. If that's the case, you ought to be interested in this model, Isuzu's D-Max V-Cross Commercial. It's a top-spec D-Max double cab - but not quite as you might know it. Here, we'll tell you more.
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Range data
| Min | Max |
| Price | 41995 | 41995 |
| CO2 (g/km) | 241 | 241 |
| Length (mm) | 5305 | 5305 |
| Min | Max |
| Width (mm) | 1810 | 1810 |
| Height (mm) | 1770 | 1770 |
| Payload Capacity (l) | 1 | 1 |
Driving experience
Like other D-Max models, this one gains the brand's latest 2.2-litre diesel engine, a torquier evolution of the previous 1.9-litre unit which is also Euro 6-compliant and more efficient. There's now 400Nm of torque, so Isuzu has redesigned the optional 8-speed auto gearbox to suit this new unit (a more flexible transmission than the old 6-speed auto). The 3.5-tonne braked towing capacity is unchanged.
On the move, things are much as before. Of course, no contender in this class can properly replicate the car-like drive dynamics of an SUV and in this one, there remains plenty of body roll at speed through tighter turns as you slide around on the flat-bottomed seats. At least there's now a lot less back end floatiness than there used to be in a D-Max when the load bay is empty; and with a bit of weight in the back, it's possible at times to forget you're in a pick-up - until you lurch into a corner or clump over a speed hump.
Refinement is slightly better than it used to be with D-Maxes of the past, though is still hardly car-like. But you might forgive this Isuzu that because, as ever with this pick-up, off road prowess is really impressive, helped by a quick-shifting 4WD system, considerable levels of suspension articulation and the lockable rear differential. Ground clearance is up to 235mm and the fording depth is up to 800mm.
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Design and build
Compared to any other D-Max double cab, the main difference here of course is that when you open the rear doors, there's a cargo bed rather than the usual passenger bench. Darkened rear side glass shields the higher-value items you might want to put there away from prying eyes. As usual on a D-Max, the front grille is flanked by distinctive U-shaped LED headlamps - which are of the more sophisticated Bi-LED variety in this V-Cross version.
Up-front, it's just as in an ordinary D-Max equipped to top 'V-Cross' spec. Which means you get a 9-inch central infotainment screen, plus a 7-inch Multi-Information instrument display.
The driving position is upright and comfortable and the leather-upholstered seats are protected on this Commercial model by standard rugged fabric covers you can then whip off at the end of a grimy working week. Despite the glazed panel behind the cab, your over-the-shoulder visibility is worse than it would be with a normal double cab pick-up, but there are large mirrors to compensate, along with standard-fit parking sensors and a reversing camera.
There's lots of space to put things in the cab, including usefully-sized door bins, cup holders and centre console storage. And it all feels solid and well built, though the plastics used are utilitarian.
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Market and model
At the time of our test in Spring 2026, Isuzu was asking around £42,500 excluding VAT for this D-Max V-Cross Commercial, which is about £1,000 more than the ordinary five-seat D-Max V-Cross with the automatic gearbox you have to have in this case. Bear in mind though, that this Commercial model comes with items that will cost extra on the ordinary version; like a towbar with electrics, a load bed liner and a rear load bay canopy: all are included in the asking price.
As with any other D-Max V-Cross, you get luxury features like dual-zone climate control, keyless entry, leather upholstery and, rather unusually, a CD player. Other standard kit inclusions include heated front seats, Bi-LED headlamps, rear passenger door window tints, protective driver and passenger seat covers, all-round parking sensors, a reversing camera and an eight-speaker premium sound system. There's a choice of eight different exterior paint colours.
Plus, as with all D-Max models, there's a very high standard of camera safety, controlled by a pair of cameras at the top of the windscreen. They function as the 'eyes' of this pick-up, judging distances and spotting hazards more quickly and more accurately than a conventional radar system could. This camera set-up uses two lenses which produce two readings, which the software compares, then gauges your likely stopping distance - operating in much the same way as the human eye. Isuzu claims this camera system can identify objects from 120-metres away. And, because these cameras are situated higher up in the vehicle than radar sensors would be, they're less likely to suffer from malfunctioning issues when the whole vehicle is coated with dirt.
Probably the most important camera safety feature is Isuzu's 'Forward collision warning' autonomous braking set-up, which can detect pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles. Also standard is a 'Lane departure warning and prevention' set-up, which alerts you if you're drifting out of lane. There's also a 'Multi-collision brake' system that automatically applies the brakes if you hit something and the airbags are deployed, thus reducing the chances of the vehicle going on to hit something else. Additionally, all D-Max models get a 'Traffic sign recognition' system, which pictures speed signs you pass and, on most models, functions as part of an 'Intelligent speed limiter'. There's also a rear radar safety system - a real rarity in this segment.
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Practicalities and costs
The load area out back is of course the same as with any other D-Max, with 1,495mm of length (a little short for the segment) and 1,530mm of width with 1,490mm of depth. Payload is just over a tonne, as is typical in this sector. There are four tie-down points to stop loads from moving around. Efficiency-wise, this Double Cab D-Max auto manages up to 30.7mpg on the combined cycle and up to 241g/km of CO2.
The financial case for this D-Max V-Cross Commercial is a pretty compelling one because for the HMRC, this is classified as a working truck with full commercial vehicle status. Which means it avoids the steep Benefit-in-Kind charges that now affect an ordinary double cab pick-up. The key difference here is that company drivers will benefit from a fixed BiK charge (£4,020 for the 2025/2026 tax year), rather than a CO2-based calculation linked to list price. That would save a company driver thousands of pounds every year on tax. Businesses will also be allowed to claim a 100% plant and machinery capital allowance against a D-Max V-Cross Commercial, helping to reduce their corporate tax bills. Road tax is kept at a fixed rate of £345.
Isuzu continues to offer one of the best warranties in the pick-up segment - a five year / 125,000 mile guarantee. Plus there's five years of UK and European roadside recovery and assistance, a three-year paint warranty and six years of anti-corrosion cover. Residual values are strong, suggesting that after 3 years and 60,000 miles of use, your D-Max would still be worth around 40% of what you originally paid for it.
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Summary
No one is going to buy or lease a D-Max V-Cross Commercial unless they really are a working professional. So it's only fair that this model is tax-treated so much more favourably than a conventional pick-up. If you're a trades person, a farmer or a construction worker, you properly have a more conventional car at home anyway, so why get an ordinary double cab pick-up and get royally taxed for rear seats you hardly ever use? Rear seats that actually might end up getting in the way when you're trying to transport varying loads.
That's why this D-Max V-Cross Commercial deserves a long hard look. It might not be the pick-up you started out wanting, but it may well be the one you actually need.
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