The Isle of Man is a small island off the north-west coast of the UK. Home to about 80,000 people, it has a peculiar legal status, existing as self-governing Crown Dependency of Britain. This means that it is able to offer a different tax regime to mainland UK - making it something of a tax haven.

Access to the Isle of Man is fairly easy – ferry services run from Liverpool and Heysham and drivers can take their cars across or opt to travel on foot. Flights from several UK airports to Ronaldsway Airport (the IoM's only airport) are also available.

The Isle of Man itself is scenic and sleepy, with a limited tourist trade and a once yearly mad inundation of visitors for the famous Isle of Man TT motorbike races. Other attractions include Peel Castle and the island's extensive narrow-gauge railway network, which is part steam and part electric. Particularly notable routes include the mountain railway route up Snaefell mountain and the steam railway which still runs between the capital Douglas and Port Erin.

When available, van hire in the Isle of Man is mostly provided by companies in Douglas. A fairly standard range of hire vans should be available:

• Medium / short wheelbase vans - e.g. Ford Transit, Vauxhall Vivaro, Renault Trafic, Volkswagen Transporter
• Small vans - e.g. Vauxhall Combo, Ford Transit Connect, VW Caddy
• Large / long wheelbase vans - e.g. Mercedes Sprinter XLWB, Ford Transit LWB, Renault Master, LDV Maxus
• Luton vans & box vans (3.5 tonne / 3.5t).