How to choose the right size van for your business

Vanparison’s top tips for choosing the right size van for your business

Choosing which van you need can be stressful

Whether you’ve started a new business, your van lease contract is up, or you’re expanding and need a new set of wheels, the van leasing market can be a minefield.

With van lease deals tying you into a van for two to four years, you want to make sure that your next van not only suits your business right now, but you can grow into it. If a small van suits your current requirements, but within a year or so you’ll have outgrown it, it’s better to bite the bullet now and take out that medium van lease.

But how do you make your mind up?

We’ve compiled a list of our best tips and tricks so you can go into your next lease van knowing it’s the right one for you and for your business.

The different types of van

There are as many types of vans as there are people who need them, and it can be an utter minefield trying to sift through and find the one that matches your specific requirements. 

Below, you’ll find a list of the most popular types of van to help you start narrowing the search down.

Panel vans

The most popular type of van, the panel van is the one you’ll likely picture the minute you hear the word ‘van’. They’re extremely versatile, and unless you have more specialist needs, the humble panel van will do everything you need it to.

Car-derived vans

Just as it says on the tin, the car-derived van is a van that looks like a car with the back seats taken out.

Though there’s less around now as the three-door hatch becomes less popular, you can still lease a Toyota Corolla Commercial van if you’re after something small for light deliveries or if you only need to carry around a few tools, but a normal car isn’t going to quite cut it.

Crew vans

These offer an extra row of seating behind the front bench for additional people-carrying.

They’re ideal if you want to use your van during family life as well as for work, or if you’re often carrying teammates around.

Specialist vans

Some companies have additional requirements that need specialist vehicles. These vans include Luton and box vans, refrigerated vans, curtain-side vans, tippers, drop-sides, and pick-ups.

How the van is used

The first thing you need to ask yourself is how – and where – your van is going to be used.

If you’re mainly undertaking short trips in town without much cargo on board, you won’t need much more than a small van like a Renault Kangoo. But if you’re carting around a lot of tools or other supplies, you’ll want to look at either a medium or a large van.

And if you, or your drivers, are going to be on the road for a long time, it’ll be more important to consider which creature comforts (like cruise control) might make the workday that little bit easier.    

What van payload do I need?

Considering van payload is crucial to making the decision.

Payload is the maximum load a van can carry – as specified by the manufacturer. Different businesses will need different payloads, and it’s especially important to think about if you’re often transporting heavy supplies. 

Overloading your van can make it difficult to stop quickly, make the van harder to control, and wear heavier on the engine and fuel, but it can also put your business at risk of being fined.

You can err on the side of caution, and go for a van that’ll comfortably be able to handle the max amount of weight you’ll need on any given day. Alternatively, if you rarely carry the kind of load that needs a large van, you can lease a medium, much more economical van, and simply hire a larger van on an ad hoc basis.

This list of some typical weights might help you to make that decision:

• Bag of dry sand: 1,339kg per cubic metre
• Bag of cement: 25kg or 50kg
• Sheet of MDF: 30-37kg (size: 2,440mm x 1,220mm)
• Tin of 5L paint: 7kg

You’ll also want to think about the size of the load space.

Even if your cargo is only light and a medium van payload is perfect, you might find that the items you’re carrying around are quite bulky, and need that additional space offered by a larger van. Using Euro pallets – 1200mm x 800mm – can be a useful way of assessing how much space you’ll need.

Finally, you’ll also want to consider how you access the load.

If you’re carrying heavy cargo, you might need to be able to access the cargo area with a forklift truck. Alternatively, you might often be out and about in towns and need to be able to load and unload from the side, to make finding parking easier.   

How many seats do I need?

Not only do you need to consider the sort of cargo you regularly carry, but also the number of people you cart about.

If it’s just you, or a single driver, then there’s no point splashing out extra cash for more seats. However, if you’re often filling the van with four or more people, whether that’s during the business day or taking your family out at the weekend, then a Double Cab will give you that extra row of seats.

It’s also worth considering how long you and your passengers spend in the van.

If you’re only really in it for a short trip to work and home again, then you might not want to spend out on the top trims with the additional driver comfort features. But if you’re spending hours in your van every day, then it is worth looking at those optional extras that’ll make the van feel that little bit more comfortable.

How do I choose the right van size?

Once you’ve considered payload, seating and cargo size, you’ll be well on your way to understanding which van is going to work best for you.

A lot of van models will also have different lengths and heights available, so there is versatility within each category. You might find that the long-wheelbase small van will actually suit your needs more than a medium van will.

Small, medium and large vans

You’ll need to decide whether you need a small van, a medium one, or a large van.

This will mainly be determined by the type of work you do – a floristry business will have different needs to scaffolders – but also by how your business will grow in the future.

A standard small van is about the same length as your average supermini, and works perfectly for many smaller urban businesses who need something that manoeuvres easily and can fit into smaller parking spaces. 

Medium vans are the most popular, with every van manufacturer offering at least one model in this category. They’re extremely versatile, available in several lengths and wheelbases, and suit a variety of different businesses. 

Large vans are that next step up, which makes them a little more unwieldy and will take some getting used to if you’ve never driven one before. But for that extra practicality, the large van is unmatched. They can operate up to 3.5 tonnes – the maximum you can drive on a standard car licence – which makes them the perfect option if you need the space but you don’t need to upgrade to a truck yet. 

Van wheelbase

This is the distance between the front and the rear axle, and has an impact on the length of the van. There are three options for wheelbases (short, medium and long), though not every make and model of van will offer all three.

The length of the wheelbase will not only determine how much storage you have in the cargo area but will also affect how easy the van is to manoeuvre.

When you’re looking for a van, the wheelbase will either be listed with short, medium or long, or by an ‘L’, followed by either 1, 2 or 3. So an L2 van would be one with a medium wheelbase. 

Van height

As well as different wheelbase lengths, vans are offered with different roof heights – low, medium, high, and extra high. These heights aren’t standardised, so be sure to double-check the height of the specific van you’re after to avoid any unexpected incidents.

Like length, height can either be listed with the wording, or with an ‘H’ followed by 1, 2, 3 or 4. 

Extra high roofs are only offered on large vans, but when coupled with a long wheelbase offer cavernous storage without the need to upgrade your driving licence to drive a truck. The L3H4 Ford Transit is a real beast of a machine, able to handle anything you could throw at it, or into it. 

However, the best van is always going to be the smallest one still capable of doing the job you need it to do. This will help save you money, as well as be much more economical and easier to drive around day-to-day.

Financing your van

Once you’ve worked out the best van size for your business, financing it will be your next step. Buying new or used outright is one option and means that your company will own that asset.

However, if you don’t have the money upfront to purchase a new van, or you don’t want to spend that much in one go, van leasing is an excellent option. With no deposit deals available, you can drive away in a brand-new van for affordable monthly payments over two to four years.

There’s nothing our expert team at Vanparison don’t know about van leasing, and they’re on hand to help with any questions you have. If you’re still unsure of what size van is going to suit your business, they’ll be more than happy to answer all your questions and get you on the road in the perfect vehicle.