In this study, cerium promoted copper-based catalysts were synthesized via conventional and surfactant-assisted impregnation methods using KIT-6 as a new support material. The catalytic activity of the prepared catalysts was investigated in the methanol steam reforming (MSR). The characterization results revealed the incorporation of cerium oxide and employing the surfactant-assisted impregnation method effectively controlled the size of copper particles and also improved the uniform distribution of the metal species. Among all catalysts, the Ce-Cu/KIT-6 catalyst which was prepared using the surfactant-assisted impregnation method exhibited the best catalytic performance of about 92% methanol conversion, 99% H-2 selectivity and only 0.9% CO selectivity at 300 degrees C. The Ce Cu/KIT-6 samples showed no significant change in catalytic activity after 24 h, demonstrating that the use of 3D-mesoporous KIT-6 support significantly improved the stability of metal based catalysts. (C) 2018 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.