Author Archives: Van Rental

Van Hire For Fairs, Shows & Exhibitions

Leave a reply

A recent visit to the giant Newark Antiques Fair at Newark Showground made me realise that many antique dealers don’t own their own vans – they simply rent a van every time they attend a big show or fair.

This has a number of advantages, I guess – most of the time they are only transporting one or two antiques at a time and so they don’t need a van – just a large car, perhaps. Driving around in an empty van all the time is costly and a bit annoying so owning a car and hiring a van makes better sense than owning just a van and is much cheaper than owning a car and a van.

If you stand at any kind of shows, fairs or exhibitions, you will probably have a similar requirement – you’ll need a van occasionally but not all the time.

Daily van hire is the ideal solution to this requirement and makes a lot of sense financially. Even ignoring the cost of purchasing a van, the annual cost of insurance, servicing and fuel will pay for quite a few days’ van rental. An added bonus is that you don’t need to find parking for a large vehicle, either.

Click here for an instant local van hire quote

Minibus Hire For Theme Park Visits & Race Days

Leave a reply

It’s that time of year again – “Mum, please can we go to Alton Towers/Drayton Manor/A N Other Theme Park?” Perhaps you and your friends are planning a day at the races?

Whatever kind of day out you are having, you’ll need to consider transport arrangements.

Public transport often doesn’t work out very well and although using several cars is often an option, it’s not very cost efficient and means several people have to drive and you can’t travel together – not ideal.

One option that often works out better is minibus hire, which comes in two flavours:

Both of these options have pros and cons – the right choice depends partly on whether you have someone in your group who is licenced and happy to do all of the driving (many hire companies require drivers of minibuses with more than 9 seats to have category D1 on their driving licence).

If you are not sure about driving or simply would like to have someone else do the hard work, then a minibus with driver hire is probably the best option. This is basically like hiring a minibus taxi for the day – to take you there and then bring you back again. It will cost a little more, but give you a much more relaxing and simple day.

Automatic Van Hire – Is It Possible?

Leave a reply

We often get asked if there are any companies that offer automatic vans for hire.

The answer is that there are a few – but not many.

Why Would You Want To Hire An Automatic Van Anyway?

There are two main reasons that demand for automatic van hire is growing:

  • Some people have automatic-only car licences – so they can only drive automatic vans
  • Automatics are easier to drive – you don’t have to think about changing gear. When you’re not used to driving a van and are concentrating on manoeuvring it, this can be a big help

Why Aren’t Automatic Vans More Popular, Then?

Historically, the types of automatic gearboxes used in cars have not been very well suited to vans. They have offered poor performance and poor fuel economy – not good if you are running a business that uses vans.

That’s all starting to change, however. Newer types of automatic transmission don’t have these disadvantages – in fact, the latest automatics can offer fuel economy and performance that is the equal of a well-driven manual. They also don’t have the higher emissions that old-style automatics have.

For these reasons, automatic vans are becoming more common, but they do still have one disadvantage for van hire companies – they cost more to buy in the first place!

Despite this, expect to see more automatic cars and vans in the next few years – the new automated gearboxes that are in use have too many advantages to ignore and are steadily gaining ground on traditional manuals.

Click here to visit out automatic van hire page and learn more about automatic vans

How To Make Moving House Easier & Less Damaging

Leave a reply

This time of year tends to be a popular time to move house. While some people choose the professional removals option, many opt for a money-saving DIY removals job – especially given the current economic situation.

If you’re moving house soon and are planning to do it yourself, then I’d like to offer you a few tips that should make your life easier and reduce the chances of any of your furniture or belongings getting damaged in transit.

These may sound stupid and obvious, but it’s surprising how many people get it wrong:

  • Furniture won’t protect itself in the back of the van – it needs to be protected with blankets or it will get scratched
  • Your back won’t thank you for too much heavy lifting – beg, borrow or steal a sack barrow so that you can avoid having to carry heavy boxes more than a few metres
  • Don’t rely on gravity to stop your stuff moving around in the back of the van – get some cheap lashing straps and tie movable objects to the side or floor of the van (click here for tips on loading a van)
  • Boxes of books weight a lot – use small boxes and make sure they are strong (so the bottom doesn’t fall out…)

You may be thinking that all of this is an extra cost – well, perhaps. The good news is that many rental companies (like Sixt) will lend/rent you the straps and sack barrow along with a van for just a few quid extra. Proper removals-strength boxes are also available surprisingly cheaply from companies like The Packaging Store.

It’s well worth spending a few quid and a little bit of time preparing and packing for your move properly – it’s what a removals company would do and it will almost certainly save you from damage, delays and unnecessary aches and pains!

Minibus Hire For Stag & Hen Nights

2 Replies

Summer weddings are always popular and are very often preceded by a stag or hen night!

If you’ve drawn the short straw and are in charge of organising the evening, then you will need to give some thought to transport.

Trains, taxis, public buses and feet(!) are all solutions that can work well but one of the best options is often minibus hire – either self-drive or with a driver.

Minibuses can seat up to 17 people (including the driver) – any more than this and it becomes a bus or coach, requiring a professional driver with a suitable licence.

There are pros and cons to hiring a minibus with a driver:

Pros

  • You don’t have to collect or return the minibus from the hire company
  • No one has to stay sober!
  • You don’t have to park the minibus or navigate your way to unfamiliar locations
  • You may not have anyone in your party who is comfortable with driving a minibus
  • You may not have anyone with the right driving licence entitlement to drive a minibus
  • It’s not your responsibility if something goes wrong or you have a bump

Cons

  • Obviously it will cost a little more as you are paying for a driver
  • You will be asked for a pre-planned route
  • If you are staying away for a night and want to keep the minibus, you will have to pay for the driver’s room, too

Overall, I’d say it depends what you’re doing. If you are heading away for a long weekend where you won’t be driving much, then a self-drive minibus makes much more sense. If you’re going to be touring local towns for a big night out, then a minibus with a driver is a much better option.

Click here for a SELF-DRIVE minibus hire quote

Click here for a minibus WITH DRIVER quote

World Cup Minibus Hire – Don’t Leave It Too Late

Leave a reply

The 2010 World Cup is about to start and some lucky football fans will be travelling to South Africa to see all the action. Many, many more will be gathering in pubs and clubs across England to watch their team play – no doubt with the help of a few pints of ‘refreshment’ to keep their throats well lubricated!

If you’re planning on travelling to South Africa in a group, then you may need a minibus to take you to the airport. Hiring a minibus with driver for airport transfers for four or more people often works out to be cheaper than airport car parking – especially if you are going to be away for more than a week.

Staying At Home? Don’t Rely On Des – Get A Professional

If your world cup plans involve staying closer to home and meeting up with friends and family at a local pub, the chances are that some of you will still need to drive to get there – raising the problem of not being able to have a drink with the game.

One alternative is to hire a minibus with driver to take you to and from the pub – that way, everyone gets picked up and dropped off together and you can rely on a professional driver to take care of the driving – leaving you free to unwind with a beer.

Remember – the police will be on the lookout for drink drivers after big England games. Unfortunately, they know that some people will take the chance on having a few beers and then driving home – despite the possible consequences. Make sure you’re not one of those people – book a taxi or minibus instead or make sure you’ve got a designated driver you can trust.

New Choice For London Van Hire With Sixt Trade

Leave a reply

Small and medium businesses looking for a regular, on-demand van hire service in London could do worse than consider Sixt’s new Sixt Trade program.

Sixt Trade is aimed at business customers who need van hire but don’t want to have the hassle of setting up an account – basically, it’s just like regular day hire but at Sixt’s most competitive online rates (trade prices are quoted exc. VAT).

As an added bonus, Sixt Trade customers will get a loyalty card that entitles them to one day’s free rental for every nine days paid rental – a nice little extra. Customers can also register to use a third party’s payment card – normally, the driver of a rented vehicle must use their own credit card to pay for the reservation and must be present at collection. This isn’t realistic for many business users, so Sixt offers a third party authorisation form that allows rentals to be completed without the card holder present.

(The Sixt Trade service is currently being advertised as only available in London – I think that this is because Sixt’s only branded branches are in London – throughout the remainder of the UK, they use branches that are members of the United Rental Group.)

Minibus Demand High As End of School Year Approaches

Leave a reply

The end of the school summer term is always a time when teachers and students like to get out of the classroom a little bit – often away from the school altogether on day trips. If you’re thinking of organising school trips and will need to hire a minibus, then we’d recommend making your bookings well in advance.

Most hire companies have fairly limited availability of minibuses and they can soon get booked up at popular times, especially the larger 15 and 17-seat minibuses that are ideal for school use.

Click here for a minibus hire quote

To learn more about minibuses and driving licence requirements for minibuses, visit our minibus hire guide.

Van News – Award For Sprinter & Transit Is Thieves’ Favourite

1 Reply

Ford Transit Tops Stolen List For 2009

The Ford Transit was the most stolen vehicle of 2009, according to the Association of Chief Police Officers Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (AVCIS). The Transit topped the list with the Mercedes Sprinter the only other van to appear in the top 10:

  1. Ford Transit
  2. Ford Fiesta
  3. Vauxhall Astra
  4. Volkswagen Golf
  5. Vauxhall Corsa
  6. Ford Focus
  7. Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
  8. Ford Mondeo
  9. Ford Escort
  10. Vauxhall Vectra

Interesting to see the Escort at number 9 – even including van variants, none of these have been made for about eight years – perhaps their anonymity is attractive to thieves for some reasons, or else strong demand for spare parts…

According to AVCIS boss Mark Hooper, “the rise in thefts of vans demonstrates their potential value in terms of spare parts, scrap metal and the prospect of stealing extra ‘booty’ within the contents of the van.” I guess the usual advice applies – keep it locked, keep everything inside it hidden and consider an alarm system.

Merc Sprinter Wins Best Large Van Award (Again)

Mercedes-Benz SprinterThe Mercedes-Benz Sprinter has won the Fleet World award for Best Large Van for the third consecutive year. Mercedes was the first van manufacturer to fit Euro 5 engines to its large van range, and as I noted recently, many van manufacturers are still stuck at Euro 4.

In addition to this, the availability of the ECO-Start stop-start system and the Sprinter’s class-leading safety systems mean that it remains the van to beat in the large van sector – as witnessed by the large number of courier and other intensive-use fleets that choose to run Sprinters.

Van News – Master Wins Award and New Movano On Sale

1 Reply

The new Renault MasterBack in January, I wrote about the imminent launch of the new Renault Master. That’s now been and gone and the new Master is not only on sale, but it has already won its first major award – Fleet World 2010 Best New Van.

The new range takes the Master up to 4.5 tonnes for the first time and introduces a RWD option on several wheelbases. It will be available in chassis cab, minibus and other varieties in due course but has initially been launched as a panel van.

Find out more about the new Renault Master here.

Also By Vauxhall…

If buying a Renault isn’t right for you for some reason – no local dealer, perhaps – then the new Master is also available as a Vauxhall. Just like the old Master, the new Master is also being sold by Vauxhall as the Vauxhall Movano.

As far as I can tell, there aren’t many differences in specification between the two brands and both appear to have the same 2.3 CDTi engine and choice of FWD, RWD and a range of GVWs up to 4.5 tonnes.

Find out more about the new Vauxhall Movano here.