The Ford Transit Custom is the UK’s most popular medium van.

When you hire a van, choosing the right size isn’t always easy. Especially if it’s your first time.

To help you find the right size van for you, we’ve put together a run-down of the most popular van sizes offered by the van hire companies in our price comparison system. (You can also find a summary of this information with typical load bay dimensions on our van sizes page.)

We’ve already covered small vans.

This week we’re continuing with a look at medium vans.

Medium is a popular choice

The best-known medium van in the UK is probably the top-selling Ford Transit Custom. Other popular choices from other manufacturers include the Luton-built Vauxhall Vivaro and the Volkswagen Transporter.

There’s a good reason why this size of van is so popular. It’s big enough to hold quite a lot, but small enough to be car-like to drive and easy to park. Fuel consumption is also good, with modern models often able to give more than 40mpg.

What will fit in a medium van? A typical medium van might be able to carry a cooker, washing machine, fridge and freezer, plus some small stuff. Or you could probably fit in two armchairs or one sofar (although some sofas will be too long).

The load area is usually 2.4m long, so you can fit 8’x4′ plasterboard, mattresses, and other longer items. Sideboards should fit too, as might a medium-sized dining table and chairs.

If you’re packing removal boxes, then I’d expect to get 25-40 in, depending on their size, weight and how easily they can be stacked.

These probably won’t fit: Very large items of furniture could still be awkward. A triple wardrobe or a large Welsh dresser might notfit. Nor will large rolls of carpet, or very large tables. Big sofas will be a problem, and you’ll only fit one sofa in unless it’s unusually small.

Another problem is that even if you can cram everything in, you may find it difficult to secure it and make sure that nothing gets damaged while you’re driving. Sometimes a bigger van allows you to pack things more safely.

Next up: We’ll take a look at long wheelbase vans!