New gold-vanadia-ceria catalysts for complete benzene oxidation were synthesized. A high and stable catalytic activity was established. The influence of the preparation method and the vanadia loading on the catalytic activity was studied. The presence of gold enhances the reducibility and the reactivity of VOx and ceria surface layers which results in the lowering of the reaction temperature. The observed strong synergistic effect between gold and vanadia, when they present simultaneously on ceria, could be related to the specific interaction between gold, vanadia and ceria and the possibility to obtain nanosize gold and ceria particles, being able to produce more active oxygen species. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.