Author Archives: Van Rental

8 Top Reason To Hire A Van

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Whether you are a private individual or a business, there are plenty of good reasons to hire a van instead of buying or leasing one (or using an unsuitable car):

Here are our top 10 reasons to rent a van:

  1. Less wear and tear on your own car – why scuff up the interior of a decent car for the sake of a £40 van rental?
  2. Easier to load than a car if you’re moving large objects – large, flat floor and wide-opening doors.
  3. Gives you the opportunity to try a vehicle before buying it – can’t decide between a Transit and a Trafic or a Combo and a Caddy? (sorry, I couldn’t resist it…)
  4. Many rental companies will now collect you from your home or workplace and take you to their branch to collect the van – so you don’t need your own transport at all.
  5. You need a van for a few months, you aren’t sure how long: Long-term van rental is often very competitively priced and avoids the commitment of a lease or contract purchase plan. Many hire companies (like Europcar) offer long-term hire, but consider services like Norflex, too.
  6. Your van broke down / was pranged yesterday and you have a busy schedule today: Hired vans are the perfect way to provide cover at short notice for fleet vehicles while they are repaired or serviced.
  7. Hiring a van can be cheaper than paying for delivery of an item or using a ‘man & van’ service.
  8. You are a small business that need to make deliveries – but not every day. Idle vans cost nearly as much as busy vans to run – so think carefully about whether you actually need a dedicated, full-time van. Many hire companies will be very flexible to met the need of regular business customers.

I’m sure there are loads more reasons than this – if you have any suggestions, feel free to leave a comment below.

Upcoming Events: British Superbike Championships

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I was at Oliver’s Mount race track in Scarborough recently and saw some great real road motorbike and sidecar racing. I’ve been to quite a bit of motor racing over the years and have always enjoyed it – although my all-time favourite was truck racing, which I once saw at Thruxton (just west of Andover) a few years ago.

If you have never been to any motor racing before, you’ll find that most of the UK’s circuits are rural affairs, many of which were once airfields – for obvious reasons, these have converted quite well to motor racing circuits over the years and are now firmly established in UK and global motorsport calendars (Silverstone and Brands Hatch in particular).

Anyway, my appetite has been whetted for some more two-wheeled action this summer, so I took a look at the British Superbike Championship schedule for the rest of the season.

There are only four rounds remaining this year:

  • 27-29 Aug: Cadwell Park (near Louth, Lincolnshire)
  • 9-11 Sept: Donington Park (J24 M1, 6 miles south-east of Derby)
  • 23-25 Sept: Silverstone Arena (about 12 miles south of Northampton)
  • Season finale 7-9 Oct: Brands Hatch (near Swanley & Dartford)

The BSB is the premier UK motorcycle circuit racing championship and has some seriously talented riders, many of whom have ridden or will ride in the World Superbike Championships. Superbikes are highly modified versions of regular road bikes like the Honda Fireblade and Ducati 1198, so they are real enough to identify with but exotic enough to be seriously fast.

Van & Minibus Hire

If you are entering any of these races or working in any of the catering or retail stalls at the event, it is not too late to book a hire van to transport your bike or gear to the race. Similarly, if you are planning to go to the race with a group of friends, you could hire a minibus to cut down on fuel costs and enable all but one of you to enjoy a few beers with your racing!

Minibus Hire for Cairngorms National Park – Ski & Walk in Scotland

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View from top of Cairn Gorm mountain

The view from the top of Cairn Gorm mountain in late June

Scotland’s Cairngorms National Park is a great place to get away from it all and do some walking (or skiing, in winter), but getting to them is pretty difficult if you do not have your own transport.

If you are not local, the Cairngorms are a fair way from most other places in the UK; visiting the area is likely to involve a fair drive for most people.

If you can all fit in one car, it’s not too bad, but if your group is large enough to necessitate two or more cars, it can become quite costly and inconvenient to travel around.

One way of transporting up to 17 people efficiently and cost-effectively is to hire a minibus. Minibuses come in a variety of sizes – usually, 8, 9, 12, 15 and 17 seats (including the driver). The most popular sizes are probably 9, 15 and 17 seats – with the latter being the largest size that can be driven without a bus driver’s licence.

If you are flying to Scotland to begin your walking holiday, then you will probably be landing in either Inverness or Aberdeen – both large cities with good minibus hire facilties. If you are driving from further afield, you will probably be able to find a minibus hire company near your departure point with our self-drive minibus hire search engine – just enter your location or postcode to see a list of possible companies in your area.

Upcoming Events: Tour Of Britain 2011 (11/09-18/09)

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Hot on the heels of this year’s exciting Tour de France (we were backing Europcar‘s Thomas Voeckler – 10 days in the yellow jersey) comes this year’s Tour of Britain, which takes place from the 11th to the 18th of September.

Its eight stages and British terrain may seem pretty middling after the brutal challenges of the Pyrenees and the Alps, but the Tour of Britain still manages to encompass three of the UK’s four countries (missing out Northern Ireland) and covers some great scenery, including the Scottish Borders (the first stage is from Peebles – Dumfries) and parts of Devon, Cumbria, North Yorkshire, and central Wales.

Although the race is now close, it is not too late to book either minibus hire or van rental for all or part of the Tour – whether you are competing, supporting the riders, volunteering, or just spectating with like-minded friends.

Here are the start and finish locations of each stage to help you work out your requirements (remember, we can offer van and minibus hire in almost all of these locations):

For full details on all the stages in the race, the teams and how you can volunteer, visit the Tour of Britain website.

Iveco Prepares To Launch New Daily Van

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Iveco will launch the latest version of its Daily van in September 2011. The model is one of a long line of Dailys, 2 million of which have been sold to date. Dailys have always been reasonably popular at the large end of the van rental market, so regular hire van users are likely to end up driving one sooner or later.

Iveco Daily new 2011 model

Engines

As usual at present, most of the new features in the van relate to engines, emissions and safety.

Two diesel engines will be available with the new Daily – a updated version of the current 2.3l Multijet model, which now generates 320Nm of torque, and a new 3 litre model with twin turbochargers, 205bhp and a massive 470Nm of torque. Between them, the engines offer something appropriate for every use and weight – the Daily has long been the heaviest of vans, with maximum weights from 2.8t to 7.0t.

Both engines meet Euro 5 standards and heavy duty models meet the higher EEV (Enhanced Environmentally-Friendly Vehicle) standard, currently the most stringent of the European emissions standards (it is basically a halfway house to Euro 6, which is coming soon).

Iveco have managed to avoid introducing the unpopular AdBlue-based SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) system and is using an updated EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) system combined with a DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) to manage exhaust emissions.

Safety

Built on a seperate chassis, Daily vans are essentially small lorries that have been engineered down to a van, rather than a light van that’s been beefed up, as is the case with some smaller van models on the market. It’s heavy duty, rear-wheel drive nature suits it to a variety of uses, including heavy towing and other demanding work. Some of its new safety features reflect this and are aimed squarely at maximum weight and towing usage scenarios.

The new Daily will come with a bewilderingly large array of safety features, each of which has its own acronym. I quote from Iveco’s press release:

Standard equipment also features the new ESP 9 safety system with active sensors and comprises ABS (ant-lock brakes), EBD (electronic brake force distribution), ASR (traction control), MSR (engine speed management to control engine over-run braking), ESP (stability control), HBA (hydraulic brake assist to ensure emergency braking is as effective as possible), Hill holder, LAC (load adaptive braking control), TSM (trailer sway mitigation), HRB (hydraulic rear wheel brake boost), HFC (hydraulic brake fade compensation), RMI (roll movement intervention) and ROM (roll over mitigation).

Cab Comforts

The cab has been updated in the new Daily and the van’s standard specification now includes an adjustable steering column and an increased range of adjustment for both driver and passenger seating.

Iveco new Daily - cab interior

For those unfamiliar with the brand, Iveco is part of the Fiat Industrial company and is the brand used for Fiat’s vans, lorries and coaches.

Increase In Drivers Running Out Of Fuel On Motorways

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Fuel gauge nearing emptyIncreasing numbers of drivers are running out of fuel on the UK’s motorways as they try to avoid using motorway service are fuel prices, according to new research from Halfords.

According to the Highways Agency, 43 cars a day typically run out of fuel on major roads – sometimes in the outside lane of a motorway. One Highways Agency traffic officer has seen first hand the carnage and danger that can result from this and recently vented his frustration on a motoring website.

He revealed that in just one day, a man who ran out of fuel was killed as he attempted to cross three busy lanes to reach his stranded car, closing a motorway for four hours. Two other men were picked up from the hard shoulder attempting to walk two miles to a service station and a woman driver with two children also had to be rescued after running out of petrol.

The anonymous officer added:

“That was only a few from today. There were probably at least two-dozen others, and that’s on a Sunday, just in the North West. Personally I’d fine them heavily.”

The interesting thing is that Halford’s research has shown that the average fill up amount is still £30 – it has not risen to keep up with the 16% rise in petrol prices that we’ve seen over the last year. This means that people are putting in less fuel than they used to each time they fill up, increasing the risk of running out of it. This is not just theorising, either – Halfords has seen a 56% increase in sales of fuel cans over the last six months.

Click here to find the cheapest petrol and diesel prices in your area

If you are driving a rental van that you are not familiar with, take extra care not to push your luck with the fuel gauge – it really is not worth the hassle, even if it does result in you leaving a little extra diesel unused when you return the van to the hire company.

False Economy

It is worth noting that although petrol and diesel prices on motorways are much higher than at supermarket garages, the difference does not really matter that much if you only put a small amount in. For example, let’s say you are nearly at your destination but the fuel needle is virtually at empty.

Put in 5 litres at a motorway garage and even if it costs 10p per litre more than you usually pay, you will only pay 50p extra – the price of a Mars Bar. It’s a lot better than risking running out of fuel and five litres will probably take you another 30 miles or more, depending on your car’s fuel consumption (1 gallon is 4.54 litres, so with 5 litres you should be able to do the same number of miles your car does to the gallon).

The other thing that’s worth remembering is that none of us has perfect judgement and sometimes we do cut fuelling a bit fine – if you are on a motorway and find yourself short of fuel, put yourself in the inside lane and drive at the same speed as the lorries (56mph). This will improve your fuel consumption significantly, reducing your chances of running out of fuel before the next filling station.

Running On Empty Likely To Suck Dirt Into Your Engine

The other problem with driving a car with an almost-empty fuel tank is that most cars’ petrol tanks have a bit of gunk and dirt at the bottom. Normally, this does not cause any problems as clean fuel from above it is sucked into the fuel pump. However, if you are running on fumes, then the dregs of your tank – dirt and all – will be sucked into your engine’s fuel system, increasing the chance of a problem or breakdown.

Bill Collins, Technical Manager at Halfords Autocentres, explains:

“Leaving fill ups until the warning light is glowing not only leaves you at risk of being stranded but of also damaging your engine. Most fuel tanks contain some contaminants and these are at risk of being ingested if the tank is allowed to run dry. Blocked fuel pipes, damaged injectors and burnt out fuel pumps can lead to unnecessary repair bills, with modern diesel engines being most vulnerable.”

The Highways Agency standard fee for recovering cars that have run out of fuel on the motorway is £170. It’s a bit more than the £1 or £2 extra you might spend if you fill up properly before you set off on your journey.

A Turning Point For Biofuels?

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Shortly after news comes of the EU introducing sustainability certification for biofuels comes a report that in the USA, farmers might be about to lose the long-held and highly lucrative subsidies they receive for producing corn for ethanol production.

Over the last decade, the percentage of US corn grown for corn ethanol production has risen from 6% to 40% of the crop, raising concerns about the knock-on impact this has had on food prices, especially in the developing world.

Environmentalists have also concluded that using corn ethanol has no environmental benefits, thanks to the large amounts of energy and water that are required to convert corn into fuel-ready ethanol. Bill Freese of the Centre for Food Safety told The Guardian that:

“The research is very clear by now. Turning corn into ethanol is not environmentally sound … It’s really an environmental disaster.”

While Congress have yet to finalise whether the corn subsidies will go as part of the American government’s deficit reduction plan, it seems likely and in fact quite appropriate. Removal of the market imbalance caused by strong government support for corn ethanol should level the playing field for other potential alternative fuels, allowing those offering genuine benefits to gain more support.

However, from a European perspective, what is most interesting is the possibility that this could mark a turning point for the current policy of mandatory biofuel use in regular fuels. So far, any evidence of genuine, whole life-cycle environmental benefits is shaky at best and downright dishonest at worst.

After all, where the USA leads, others, especially the UK, tend to follow. Let’s hope in this case that some of the current half-baked, short-sighted biofuel policies that inflate food prices and don’t provide significant carbon reductions will be phased out and replaced with more meaningful and less prescriptive directives that encourage development of new ideas and reward genuine reductions in environmental impact.

16% Of Drivers Think Amber Means Green

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Traffic light at amberA new survey by Thrifty Car & Van Rental has found that 38% of drivers rarely stop at amber lights while 16% treat amber traffic lights as if they were green – and drive straight through with no intention of trying to stop.

A massive 80% of those surveyed admitted that they did sometimes try to run amber lights, despite the fact that failure to stop at an amber light is an offence, unless it is unsafe to do so. According to Thrifty’s survey, the worst offenders are in Chelmsford, followed by Leeds, Coventry, Liverpool and Brighton.

This survey reminds me of something I was once told in a presentation by a traffic police officer. You may have noticed that not all amber lights are the same length – I often notice that on motorway roundabouts, the amber period is much shorter than at town centre lights, for example.

Apparently, amber periods have been lengthened over the years to try and improve safety. Unfortunately, this seems to have had the side effect of encouraging people to drive through amber lights because there is such a long pause before the lights go to red.

Anyone who has driven on the continent will have noticed that in most European countries, traffic lights often go from green to red almost instantly, with minimal amber periods. This makes it almost impossible to run an amber light – you will almost certainly end up driving through the red light, instead. This does seem a good idea to me, as does another continental idea, that of flashing amber lights in all directions at quiet times.

This is an idea the Department for Transport has been looking into, although so far has not decided to adopt. What happens is that at quiet times, all the traffic lights at a junction will flash amber, warning drivers that they can proceed but must take care to ensure that nothing is coming the other way. This is similar to what happens when a set of traffic lights stops working in the UK – people still manage to get across the junction – often faster than usual, in my experience. The only time that traffic lights really seem to help is at very busy junctions, where gridlock would result without them.

Tips On Van Hire For eBay Collections

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You can’t (yet) arrange van hire on eBay, but you may well need to hire a van if you have purchased one of the larger items for sale on eBay – a new sofa, garden furniture or a fridge-freezer, for example.

If you are shopping on eBay for anything that won’t obviously be posted, it is always worth checking what shipping methods the seller is offering before you make a bid. Some sellers will not ship at any price and will insist on collection only. Don’t be the kind of plonker who makes a winning bid and then realises that the item they have bought is Collection Only but they can’t collect it…

If the item you have bought is not too far away, hiring a van might be cheaper than using a courier or delivery service. These usually charge a per-mile rate – find out what’s on offer and compare it to the cost of hiring a van for a day, plus the cost of the diesel you will use. Fuel consumption on modern vans is pretty decent – even large vans will manage 30mpg on a long run, although short journeys and driving through town can be much worse.

Remember to check out the size of the item you need to collect and make sure the van you hire is big enough – but not too big. There’s no point in wasting money on a van that’s needlessly large.

All vans up to 3.5t (that’s almost all rental vans) can be driven on a regular car licence, although most hire companies have a minimum age requirement for van hire that’s somewhere between 21 and 25 – check before booking if this is an issue for you.

Europcar Introduces Sunday Opening At 60 Branches

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Europcar has announced that from September 2011, 60 of its UK branches will be open 7 days a week. The branches will be airport and city locations – 22 airports and 38 cities. Not all airport locations offer van hire but city locations normally do, so Europcar’s new opening hours will make them in a minority of UK van rental companies that offer Sunday opening hours.

Europcar Group UK Managing Director Ken McCall said:

“We have been trialling extended opening hours at selected locations over the last few months, with considerable success” added Ken McCall. “It therefore made perfect sense to roll out this service to more locations.”

Europcar’s move is certainly one that will offer great value to van rental customers – at present, weekend rentals usually mean exactly that – a Friday night or Saturday morning pickup followed by a Monday morning return. Being able to collect and return vehicles on Sundays will be very useful.

Update: Van hire branches with extended opening hours include Birmingham (Bristol Street), Leeds (Low Road), Bristol North (Berkley, Clifton) and Manchester (Oldham Road).