What van?

golfer · Dec 30, 2013

Hi to all members and all the best. Been a member on this forum for a while now and never posted until now, as it seems like every time you want advice or reference it has already been covered. So with this being said many thanks to all members that have helped me out since joining. I am self employed and mainly cover domestic and commercial work with the occasional industrial job now and then. Now to my question. What van would do you use and what are the positives and negatives with that van, fuel economy, load space, vehicle quality etc or you may add more reasons yourself. This would help me as my accountant has advised me to change my vehicle, which is a 2009 Renault traffic swb 115 model. Always thought this van was about the right size for me, however would appreciate any members views. Many thanks.

Sparky Pat · Dec 31, 2013

I would suggest that before you change vans that you take your present van along to somewhere that has a weighbridge and and get it weighed, make sure your fuel tank is full. With a van full of cable and tools etc it is surprising what it can add up to. Also allow for an extra passenger. You do not want to be pulled over by the ministry and find that you are overweight as this can lead to a heavy fine. I used to have a VW LT van but we were running at between 100 and 200kg over its limit at any time so had to upgrade to a 3.5 ton van.

Richard Burns · Dec 31, 2013

Have a search on the forum for which is the best van type threads there are a fair few, this may help you decide the type you need.

The key point to ask is what is the reason your accountant has asked you to change the van?
Is there a cost saving on having a more fuel efficient van, is it the engine, size, is it the insurance code and so on and so forth?

This would make the difference on what you chose, it would be no good saying the Ford Transit is best if this is worse for you on an accounting side.

Key factors are your use, you have said you pretty much cover everything, so this can mean a lot of kit so you would be looking at a large van.
The mileage you are doing as high mileage means that fuel efficiency comes out top.
The stock levels you need to carry are you going from job to job without getting back to base or are you nipping in and out of the warehouse all the time.
Not much concrete (needs strong van!) here I am afraid, just some ideas.