Vans are not complicated, it’s just that there are loads of them

1. Car derived vans.  Built directly from a car, they are small to medium in size.  A great example is the Vauxhall AstraVan. There are only two seats so take this into account and sometimes the bulkhead may be blocked off. Side windows are removed for security, making them ideal for business use where tools are carried. Some with side doors are really popular as florist vans

2.  4×4 vans, a really small percentage of the market. Landrover produce a Defender and a Discovery derived van which are really popular with water and electric companies who genuinely need to go off road. Rescue and recovery authorities also use the Landrover product. Many mainstream manufacturers offer a 4×4 version, such as the Transit, but the amount supplied is quite limited

3. Vans converted to minibuses. Anywhere from 8 to 17 seats, requiring differing licences subject to weight, schools, clubs, travel companies are large buyers of minibuses. They are based on a long wheel base panel van and normally factory converted.  Specialist conversions including wheel chair modifications and additional storage on board are available. At Vanlease, we will take the time to guide you through the options available to you and ensure that you get your ideal product. We have supplied many Ford 14 and 17 seaters, the two minibuses that dominate the market. See our previous blogs here and here.

 

4. Box Vans, I suppose they are almost a cube, as a result they have a large airy feel to them with the abilty to carry awkward loads. They often have roller shutter rear doors and an additional door on the side is normal

 

5. Non Car derived but small van, such as the new Mercedes-Benz Citan. Although they look similar at first glance to a car derived van, they are designed around a cubic meter pallet with access from the rear and side. They are great for companies wanting a small van that can carry a larger load such as a plumber/install delivering and fitting a boiler.

 

6. Flat beds and chassis cabs are similar, but a flat bed will have a bed pre fixed to the chassis which can be modified without the complexity of fixing to the chassis. An example of this would be a vehicle transporter.  A chassis cab will be modified to a bespoke product such as a motorhome.

 

 

7. Pick ups,  Available as a single cab or as a double cab and reduced length bed, the pick up has been an extraordinarily successful seller in the UK due to the favourable tax treatment. The rear tail will drop for loading and sometimes the sides can be dropped as well.  They are robust and cabale off road for uses such as farming or landscaping where multi-use in a single day is requires. Our most popular units being the Mitsubishi L200, the Toyota Hi Lux and the Nissan Navara.

 

8.One of our specialities at Vanlease UK,  tippers. Effectively, a drop side but with a hydraulic system to tilt the bed and tip waste from it.  In flat use, the van is simply a drop side, perfect for builders who may carry scaffold one day but tip ton of stone the next.
The Ford Transit tipper is easily the most popular tipper.

 

9.Crew Cab van has an extra line of seats giving it capacity for up to 6 passengers. We have delivered site vans with toilet, fridges and water supplies based on crew cabs, which in some cases will rotate the rear seats to make a small office, with heating.   Builders and civil engineers will often arrive on site with such a van, which can carry more people but has the abilty to be an office as well. A great example of this type of van is the Vauxhall Movano derived Crew cab.

 

10. Finally, one of the rarer vans, the  curtain side. It is a van with fabric curtains to allow access to the load,  the curtains are waterproof and normally fastened with a ratchet fastening system. A good example of use is a brewery, where the awkward shaped load needs to be assessed. The roof is rigid and carries the curtains. The weight saving is significant. The only factory produced unit is the Ford Transit and we are awaiting specification and prices for teh new Transit curtain side.