Author Archives: Van Rental

Hiring A Van or Minibus During the Olympics? Book It Now

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If you will need to hire a van or minibus in London or the south-east of England during the Olympic Games (July 27 to August 12) or Paralympic Games (August 29-September 9), you should book it now.

At a recent transport planning seminar held by the Association of Car Fleet Operators (ACFO), Ian Wainwright, of Transport for London told attendees that up to 800,000 spectators and 55,000 athletes, officials, organisers and members of the media would be travelling to and from the Olympic venues every day.

The Government has said that the overall transport ambition is to reduce non-Olympic demand during the Games by 30% but Wainwright advised attendees to consider the ‘4rs’ – reduce travel, reschedule travel, re-route travel to avoid busy transport corridors and revise travel modes.

This advice applies to anyone seeking to rent self-drive vans and minibuses, too. Demand will be sky high and anyone leaving it to the last minute will have to take a big risk on availability – plus there is also the possibility that prices will rise in response to sky-high levels of demand.

Follow our advice for a trouble-free Games:

  1. Work out what your van and minibus requirements will be and book it all now.
  2. If in doubt, book an extra day (or an extra vehicle). Don’t cut it fine – you will not be able to extend your booking at the last minute.
  3. Reschedule for before or after the Games if possible.
  4. Remember that there are Olympic venues all over the south of England and so disruption will extend far beyond London – click here for a list of all Olympic venues.
  5. Remember to compare prices to find the best deal – we offer the UK’s most comprehensive van hire price comparison and minibus hire price comparison services.
Have you got any Olympic tips – or are you already feeling the effects of the forthcoming Games? Leave a comment below and let us know.

Electric Van News: Kangoo Z.E. Wins Again + Price Warning On Electric Vans

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Electric vans have been in the news this week – here’s a quick roundup of the two main stories.

Electric Vans Still Too Expensive

The Mia U electric van

The Mia U electric van - a new model for 2012

A new report commissioned by the Department for Transport has found that the total cost of ownership for an electric van may still be 10% higher than for a diesel van in 2030.

Examining the market potential for ultra-low emission van technologies, including pure EV, Plug-in EV and hydrogen fuel-cells, the report from Element Energy concluded that:

  • The current cost of ownership for pure electric large vans is more than 50% higher than their diesel-engine equivalents.
  • 10% is the maximum cost of ownership premium that van operators are willing to accept – with most unwilling to pay any.
  • Using government oil price projections, pure electric vans will still have a 10% cost of ownership premium over diesel in 2030.
  • By 2030, hydrogen fuel cell-powered vans are likely to reach cost of ownership parity with diesel vans – but there will be concerns over the level of hydrogen infrastructure.

The report was carried out prior to the introduction of the Plug-in Grant for vans and its cost of ownership calculations also do not take into account incentives such as the London Congestion Charge exemption.

Although the plug-in grant reduces the cost of a qualifying electric van by up to 20%, it may still take some years for electric vans to achieve parity – and there is no guarantee of how long the plug-in grant will be maintained.

The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) is urging manufacturers to follow-up on the report’s suggestion that they investigate the business case for bringing more hybrid powertrains to market, particularly for smaller vans, where the economics are much more favourable.

Commenting on the report, John Lewis, BVRLA Chief Executive, said:

“This well-researched report is a massive wake-up call for electric van makers and the government. The government has put its money where its mouth is by delivering the Plug-in Van Grant and other tax incentives, but they need to give operators confidence that these will be more than just short-term measures.

“The vehicle rental and leasing industry is ready and waiting to step in and help create a sustainable market for ultra-low emission vans, but fleets make decisions based on cost more than sentiment.”

Renault Kangoo Z.E. Wins Ecovan Award

Renault Kangoo Van Z.E.

Renault Kangoo Van Z.E.

Renault’s all-electric Kangoo Van Z.E. has won the VansA2Z.com Ecovan of the Year Award.

The win is the third award for the Kangoo Z.E., which was also chosen as  International Van of the Year 2012 and What Van? Magazine’s Van of the Year.

The Kangoo Van Z.E. is the first electric van to be directly produced by a mass market manufacturer – it’s made in Renault’s regular factory and is not modified or assembled by specialist subcontractors.

VansA2Z.com judges hailed Renault’s innovative rental approach to the funding of the most expensive part of an electric van, the battery pack, and claimed it was “a very tempting prospect for operators with a suitable duty cycle”.

Website editor Neil McIntee added, “It is absolutely superb, the most complete electric vehicle and very driveable – it works beautifully. I have driven it many times in many countries, including the Brighton to London Future Car Challenge, and found it works completely effortlessly. It was the worthy winner in the ecovan category.”

Renault’s Kangoo Van Z.E. range was recently confirmed eligible for the Government’s new Plug-in Van Grant which brings the line-up’s already tempting starting price down to £13,592 excluding VAT.

Nissan To Reveal NV400 Chassis Cab Range At CV Show

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Nissan NV400 tipper van

Nissan NV400 Tipper

Nissan will exclusively reveal its new NV400 chassis cab range at the Birmingham CV Show in April.

This will be made up of factory dropside and tipper options plus a Good To Go range of bodybuilder conversion that will be sold through dealers as a complete vehicle, ensuring it is compliant with the forthcoming EU Whole Vehicle Type Approval requirements.

A mid and long wheelbase NV400 chassis cab in both front and rear wheel drive will be launched with two factory built vehicles and a Nissan Good To Go range of conversions.  All will be offered by Nissan dealers.

There will be two engine options of 125hp and 150hp and a total of 13 variants to choose from including a single cab and double cab. The factory-built conversions initially comprise a dropside and tipper which are built on the production line and will be delivered to the operator ready for action.

The Good To Go range will include a box van, Luton and fridge van, plus a combi and minibus option that will be built by UK converters handpicked by Nissan and sold by dealers to operators as a complete vehicle.

“The CV Show is a great platform to launch our new NV400 chassis cab and remind operators that Nissan has one of the widest LCV ranges on offer in the UK,” explained James Douglas, Nissan Motor GB’s corporate sales director.

“With the NV400 semi forward van based chassis cab and the Cabstar truck chassis cab Nissan has two base vehicles that operators can use to build virtually any size or shape of conversion to match their business requirements. We believe this will help further grow our LCV sales in 2012,” he added.

Nissan is focused on promoting the NV400 (which is a rebadged Renault Master) as part of its plan to build on last year’s record LCV sales.

For more information, visit www.nissan.co.uk or the CV Show website.

Slough-Based IT Specialist Chooses Citroën Vans

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Citroen Berlingo van operated by Logistics InternationalSlough-based IT services firm Logistics International plc and its subsidiary Wildfield Ltd. have just completed a major van and car fleet deal with Citroën Slough.

As part of a fleet replacement programme, the specialist IT engineering service companies have taken delivery of 43 new Citroën vehicles, including 26 Berlingo HDi 75 manual L1 625 Enterprise vans.

Leatherhead-based Logistics International plc offers its UK and European customers a wide range of IT engineering services as well as printer support, managed print services and field mobility solutions. The company’s new Citroëns will be used by its highly trained IT software engineers, who provide its blue chip customer base with skilled, specialist support.

George Kyle, Logistics International’s Fleet Manager, explains: “Our new Citroëns replace a mixed fleet with a single make. We already run some Citroëns and, in acquiring these latest vehicles, we have enjoyed an excellent level of service from the Citroën Slough Business Centre, both in achieving the correct vehicle specification for each user and in selecting the right contract hire deal through Citroën Contract Motoring. Since these new Citroën cars and vans have entered service, our engineers have been very impressed with their new vehicles.”

Logistics International’s 43 new Citroëns are being operated on 36 month, with maintenance, contract hire agreements with Citroën Contract Motoring. Dependent on application and location, Logistics International’s vehicles will cover between 90,000 and 105,000 miles, both in the UK and Europe, during their service life with the company.

Volkswagen Van Deliveries Up 21% In 2011

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Volkswagen Transporter T5Volkswagen has announced record results for 2011. The group, which includes the Škoda, Seat, Volkswagen, Audi and Crewe-based Bentley brands as well as truckmakers Scania and MAN, recorded 14.7% to a record 8.3 million vehicle deliveries in 2011.

Car deliveries totalled 5.1m, while Volkswagen delivered 529,000 vans globally, up 21.4% on last year’s figure of 436,000.

Vans generated more profit for the Group, too, with Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles‘ operating profit rising by €217 million to €449 million (2010: €232 million). VW says that this was due to higher sales and lower materials costs.

As I have reported recently, UK truck sales have been strong over the last year and VW reports that its Swedish truck manufacturer, Scania, increased deliveries by 25.7 per cent to 80,100 trucks and buses in 2011. Truckmaker MAN, in which VW has a 57.33% stake, delivered 24,750 trucks and buses in the period from November to December 2011.

Upcoming Events: BTCC Season Opener & 2012 Pageant Of Power

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BTCC race track actionBTCC Season Opens 31st March

It is now less than a month until the start of the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC).

The first round takes place at Brands Hatch over the weekend of the 31st March – 1st April and indications so far are that nine different makes of car will be on the grid, all of them using the new flame-spitting, turbocharged engines that form part of the Next Generation Touring Car specification.

The 2012 BTCC title race will take place at nine top race circuits located in eight different counties throughout the country: Brands Hatch, Kent (1 Apr & 21 Oct); Donington Park, Derbys-Leics border (15 Apr); Thruxton, Hants (29 Apr), Oulton Park, Cheshire (10 June); Croft, North Yorks (24 June); Snetterton, Norfolk (12 Aug); Knockhill, Fife (26 Aug); Rockingham, Northants (23 Sept) and Silverstone, Northants (7 Oct).

Another of the BTCC’s massive appeals, notably among families, is that admission to all ten of its race weekends is FREE for accompanied children (age limits vary). This includes access to specially organised pit lane autograph sessions with the star drivers plus, at most events, the race teams’ central paddock.

Brands Hatch’s big BTCC weekend (31 March-1 April) will also include the first races of 2012 for the hotly-contested Ginetta Junior, Ginetta GT Supercup, Porsche Carrera Cup GB, Formula Renault and Renault Clio Cup championships that represent the very best in single-seater, sports and saloon car action. Nicolas Hamilton and Josh Hill – respectively the younger brother and son of Formula 1 champions Lewis Hamilton and Damon Hill – will be among those on the Clio Cup and Formula Renault starting grids.

Tickets for the event are still available at discounted prices including £25 per adult for Sunday’s main race day. For all ticketing options for the event visit www.brandshatch.co.uk. Admission is FREE for children aged 12 and under all weekend.

For a full list of the BTCC’s 2012 race dates and circuits, visit www.btcc.net.

Four Aero-Engined Cars At 2012 Pageant Of Power

BMW Brutus - Pageant of Power 2012

The 500bhp, 46-litre BMW Brutus - see it at the Pageant of Power 2012

Did you watch Top Gear on the 4th March (last Sunday)? If so, you will have seen ‘Brutus’ in action – the fabulous 46-litre, 500bhp aero-engined BMW that was built after WWII using a surplus aeroplane engine!

There will be no fewer than four aero-engined cars at the Cholmondeley Pageant of Power in June, boasting a total of 135 litres of displacement and 2,800bhp. Although it’s still early, I thought I would share this with you while last week’s Top Gear might still be fresh in your mind (and ringing in your ears…).

Other aero-engined cars at the 2012 Pageant of Power will include a 23-litre Maybach Zeppelin (affectionately known as ‘Chitty Bang Bang 1’, one of four celebrated 1920s English race cars believed to have inspired the creation of the fictional Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), the 24-litre Napier-Bentley and the fearsome 42-litre Packard-Bentley.  Including Brutus, the combined power output for these four cars totals more than 2,800bhp.

James Hall, Event Director for the Cholmondeley Pageant of Power, said: “Aero-engined cars are a rare breed, but these are some of the most fascinating and exhilarating machines people are likely to ever encounter.  We can’t wait to see what the crowds make of these unique cars, as there is simply nothing else on the road that can match them for sheer drama.”

Now in its fifth year, the Cholmondeley Pageant of Power will take place on the Cholmondeley Estate in Cheshire from 15 to 17 June. (It’s just off the A534, midway between Wrexham and Crewe.)

A full event schedule and list of participants will be announced over the coming weeks, with Pageant organisers set to reveal some exciting new additions and features for 2012.

To buy tickets or find further information, visit www.cpop.co.uk.

If you are travelling in a large group to one of these events, why not consider hiring a self-drive minibus to cut down on fuel costs and enable you all to travel together with one driver? Click here to compare minibus hire prices.

Used Van Prices Fall In January

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BCA auctions - a van being sold at auctionUsed LCV values fell by £211 in February to £4,272 according to BCA’s latest figures, a 4.7% drop from the 20-month high recorded in January.

BCA’s Pulse data shows average LCV values fell in all three sectors of fleet/lease, dealer part-exchange and nearly-new thanks to a combination of softer demand and changing model mix as supply pressures continued.

The February average figure of £4,272 was the lowest recorded in the past six months and performance against Guide Prices fell by one and three-quarter points to 98.23%.

BCA Used van prices February 2012

However, year-on-year, February 2012 was £126 ahead of the same month in 2011, equivalent to a 3% improvement – despite the average age and mileage rising by four months and over 6,000 miles respectively in the same period.

Duncan Ward, BCA’s General Manager – Commercial Vehicles said:

“However, values remain at a much higher level than they were a year ago, despite both mileage and age rising by around 8% in that time.  This is in line with our expectations – shared by Professor Peter Cooke at the Centre for Automotive Management, Buckingham University – that the market will continue to experience a relative shortage of units under five-years old in the short- to medium-term.   As a result of the lower new van sales since 2008 and the trend for larger businesses to hold on to vans for longer, it may become increasingly difficult to source good quality used LCV stock and this means values are likely to remain reasonably firm as a result.”

As I discussed in Wednesday’s post about new van registrations, it seems that the market for vans is taking longer to recover than for trucks.

Big Dribble For Vito E-Cell Van

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Supporting WellChild - The Big Dribble Mercedes Vito E-CellAn all-electric Mercedes-Benz Vito E-Cell van is to be used by npower to power the Big Dribble – a UK-wide initiative designed to raise funds for national children’s charity WellChild and backed by Great Britain Hockey.

The npower Big Dribble will start in Edinburgh on 15 April and conclude in London’s Trafalgar Square on 2 May. As part of the 40 town and city stops in between, communities will be invited to be part of a world record attempt to ‘dribble’ a hockey ball for up to 100 metres per participant, for a total of 2012km.

Equipment for the fundraising initiative will be transported in the world’s first ‘off-the-shelf’ electric van, the Mercedes-Benz Vito E-CELL, which has been selected specifically to be able to test the UK’s electric vehicle infrastructure.

The Vito E-CELL will be powered using npower’s Juice-e charging posts at each stage in an effort to showcase EV technology; on a single six-hour charge from a 380/400 volt input, the vehicle has a maximum range of 130km (80 miles). Juice-e complies with OFGEM’s green supply guidelines for tariffs providing real environmental benefit. For every unit of energy used, npower matches it with renewable energy back into the grid.

Steve Bridge, Van Sales and Marketing Director for Mercedes-Benz UK, said: “We’re used to our Vito Sport and Sport-X making people drool, and are delighted that our electric E-CELL is now helping the Big Dribble!

We are very proud to be involved and both to raise funds and awareness for WellChild, and to highlight the ease-of-use for running an electric van.”

The Mercedes-Benz Vito E-CELL is now available under a full contract hire package from Mercedes-Benz, with terms covering one to four years. It is now also eligible for the Government’s new Plug-In Van Grant.

To find out more, visit www.thebigdribble.com.

Band Van Hire: Vans For Bands, Oxford

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Vans For Bands logoI’m very pleased to welcome our newest advertiser to vanrental.co.uk, Vans For Bands Ltd, which is now listed on our Band Van Hire page.

Vans For Bands is one of the UK’s leading band van hire companies and offers a full range of 6-11 seater splitter vans and MPVs from its base near Oxford or via its nationwide collection and delivery service. Tour vans are available in a wide range of specifications and onboard facilities such as sat navs, PS2s, DVD players and reclining chairs are available.

Most vehicles can be driven on a standard car driving licence and trailer hire is also available. This is useful, as most regular car and van hire companies prohibit the use of a trailer with their vans.

Vans For Bands is based in Begbroke, just north of Oxford. To find out more, contact them directly:

Vans For Bands also provides backline hire and can arrange to provide tour personnel for UK and European tours.

New Van Registrations Down 26.4% In February

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Figures much worse than January.

New van registrations fell by 26.4% in February, compared to February 2011, according to the latest SMMT figures. The February figures are disappointing but not surprising – new van registrations also fell in January.

Van registrations for the year to date were down by 20.3%, although registrations on a rolling year basis – the last twelve months – were up by 10.3% compared to the same period a year before.

Stronger Demand For Bigger Vans

Van registration numbers for February were closely correlated with weight, with larger vans seeing a smaller fall in registrations than smaller models:

Van type % Change Feb 2012 Feb 2011
Vans < 2.0t -45.0% 1,331 2,420
Vans >2.0t – 2.5t -25.4% 1,014 1,359
Vans >2.5 – 3.5t -18.6% 4,947 6,079

Truckin’ Great

As we saw in January, truck registrations are proving far more robust than van sales, suggesting that the fundamentals of the economy are not in such bad shape as consumer demand would have you think.

Truck sales rose by 26.4% in February compared to last year, generating a 36.7% rise in truck sales for the year to date and a 23.7% improvement over the last 12 months.

Artic registrations were largely unchanged from the same period last year, falling by 1.5%. However, this figure conceals a big divide between 2-axle units (up 134.7%) and 3-axle units (down 13.8%).

Once again, rigid registrations recorded the biggest increases, rising by 46.5% overall, with strong increases across all weight categories.

Bad Year For Van Manufacturers?

So far, new van registrations in 2012 are lower than any other year since 1998, except for recession-hit 2009.

Hopefully the remainder of the year will bring good economic news (such as Nissan’s announcement about the future of its Sunderland plant) that will give business owners the confidence to continue with their usual fleet replacement cycles. In the meantime, van hire businesses look set to profit from their ability to provide vans on a flexible, short-term basis.