Author Archives: Van Rental

Don’t Rely On Lady Luck: Deadly Driving Distractions You Need To Avoid

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Crashed car

A moment’s inattention while adjusting your sat nav is all it takes to cause a major crash.

The risks of drink-driving and driving tired have rightly had lots of publicity over the last few years.

What isn’t always appreciated, however, are the risks posed by routine, legal and accepted activities such as smoking, eating, drinking, and adjusting your sat nav or car stereo.

The reality is that anything which takes your eyes off the road and distracts your mind from the core activity of driving is a danger.

This week is Road Safety Week, organised by the charity Brake, and to mark the occasion I’d like to take a closer look at three of the biggest risks many drivers take when on the road:

  1. Mobile phones: Hands-free or not, there is no doubt that having a telephone conversation distracts your mind from the job of driving and increases the likelihood that you will have an accident. According to Brake, drivers using mobile phones are four times more likely to crash, even if they are using a hands-free kit. The problem is the distraction, not holding the phone.
  2. Sat navs & MP3 Players: Back in the day, you’d switch on the radio when you got in the car, and that would be it. Today, drivers navigate through complex touch-screen systems that involve digital maps, traffic information, mp3 playlists and much more. It’s all a bit like operating a computer — something no rational person would do while they were driving. If you use a sat nav or an mp3 player, program the device and set it up before you set off, and then listen to it as you drive. Don’t ‘touch and look’ as you drive — you are effectively driving along with your eyes closed.
  3. Smoking, eating & drinking: I doubt there is anyone who hasn’t done at least one of these things while driving along — I know I have — yet the reality is that each of them distracts you from the job in hand, and frequently creates an in-vehicle hazard that could end up causing an accident. The dropped-cigarette-and-boiling-coffee-in-the-lap scenario is no urban myth, and even if nothing goes wrong, you are still distracted.

Now, I know that some of you will read this and think yes, that’s all very well in theory, but I live in the real world. I can hold a cup of coffee and look where I’m going, and as for sat navs — well, they are obviously designed to be looked at. Who doesn’t look at their sat nav while they are driving?

All I can say in response is that recent research in the USA showed that driver inattention was a factor in 78% of crashes.

I know, and you know, that most regular drivers have had near misses due to being distracted — and the only difference between a near miss and a crash is luck. Do you really want to rely on Lady Luck to keep you safe?

Although a certain number of crashes are inevitable — we’ll all human, and we do make mistakes — allowing ourselves to be distracted by electronic gadgets and junk food simply isn’t good enough. When driving, switch off your phone and put it out of reach, don’t play with your sat nav or mp3 player and don’t eat, smoke or argue with passengers.

Ex-Rental Vans Attract Top Prices At Auction

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New figures from vehicle remarketing specialist British Car Auctions (BCA) show that ex-fleet vans — such as those from large van hire fleets — attract the strongest prices at auction, as professional buyers complete for these high quality, one-owner vans, which typically have a full service history.

According to the BCA data, values for vans from fleet and leasing companies have improved by £110 (1.7%) in October compared to September to £6,518 – the third consecutive month a record value has been achieved and the seventh record value seen in 2013.

The average price of ex-fleet and lease vans has risen by an astonishing 25% over the last year, as the table below shows.

Fleet/Lease Avg Age (mnths) Avg Mileage Avg Value Sale vs CAP Sale vs MRP
Oct 2012 45.24 72,352 £5,201 101.52% 32.60%
Oct 2013 40.84 69,547 £6,518 103.16% 37.49%

Data courtesy of BCA (www.british-car-auctions.co.uk)

The fall in average age is interesting, as there seem to be two possible interpretations:

  1. Large fleet operators are deliberately shortening their replacement cycles to boost residual values, thus lowering their total cost of ownership.
  2. Improved economic conditions mean that fleet operators are feeling more confident and want to reduce the average age of their vans to improve their image and avoid the maintenance requirements of older vans — in particular, they may be starting to defleet their vans before they are due for their first MOT test, at 36 months.

I don’t know which — if either — of these is the explanation for the five-month reduction in average age, but it is noticeable that the average monthly mileage of ex-fleet/lease vans has also risen over the last year, from 1600 in October 2012 to 1700 in October 2013. This could point to an improvement in business conditions.

Iveco Pimps The Daily Ride With Platinum-Spec Van

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Iveco Platinum Daily

The Iveco Platinum Daily

Iveco has launched a new, high-spec version of its Daily large van aimed at owner-drivers and any other van operator who wants a flagship van.

As its name suggests, the Platinum Daily is fully loaded and comes with Iveco’s highest tier options pack as standard, featuring air conditioning with climate control, electric windows, spring-suspended driver’s seat, cornering front fog lights, cruise-control, heated electric mirrors, remote control central locking, additional storage compartments, 140 amp alternator and a heavy-duty battery.

The Platinum Daily also includes a built-in Clarion NX502E entertainment centre. This high-performance system is operated via a wireless remote control and incorporates a 6.2” high-resolution display with satellite navigation, Bluetooth connectivity and a reversing camera with rear sensors.

The Platinum Daily will be powered the most popular 2.3 litre FPT Euro 5 diesel engine in the Daily line-up, capable of producing up to 126hp and will be available in medium and long wheelbase configurations — 3,300mm or 3,950mm – to deliver a load space of 12m3 or 15.6m3 respectively.

Servicing included

Iveco hasn’t just ticked all the boxes on the options list, however — the firm has also considered how it can make Platinum owners’ lives easier and more predictable. Every Platinum Daily comes with a five-year Iveco Elements servicing contract with a mileage allowance of 40,000 km per annum, transferable between owners. This includes all servicing and routine checks, greasing, oil changes and fluids, plus the supply of Iveco Origin genuine replacement parts. Owners will also benefit from the Daily’s standard three-year unlimited mileage warranty.

An additional attraction is that Daily owners also get access to Iveco’s truck servicing network — which includes 24/7 roadside assistance and a dealer network that averages a 95% first-time MOT pass rate and (in many cases) 24-hour opening for servicing at night and at the weekend.

Van Sales Collapse Continues To Power Used Van Market To Record Levels

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Used van prices remain firmly supported by strong demand last month, according to the latest figures from auctioneers BCA.

The average value achieved of £5,151 was just £7 below September’s all-time record of £5,158, and was nearly 16% up on the average value achieved in October 2012. Sale prices remained well above CAP prices, as this table shows:

All vans Avg Age (mnths) Avg Mileage Avg Value Sale vs CAP
Oct 2012 58.42 79,452 £4,447 101.87%
Oct 2013 59.28 80,725 £5,151 103.90%

Data courtesy of BCA (www.british-car-auctions.co.uk)

This graph shows how strongly prices have risen over the last two years, thanks to an underlying shortage of supply caused by the slump in van sales in 2009, from which the UK’s van market has still not recovered, as I discussed last week:

Used van prices to October 2013

Average used LCV prices at auction for the two years to October 2013, courtesy of BCA.

BCA LCV auction

Vans and 4x4s going under the hammer at a BCA LCV auction.

Duncan Ward, BCA’s General Manager, says that the problem is a lack of used supply from big corporate fleets, which typically feed the top end of the used market:

“This stock shortage is a long term issue that results from collapse of the new van market in 2009.  Four years on, the big corporate fleets that provide the bulk of the ‘first time to market’ used vans simply do not have the same volumes to sell.

Professional buyers who typically buy corporate vans at auction are finding they have to bid harder and higher to secure the same stock and this trend is set to continue.  And in terms of seasonal movements, the onset of bad weather usually marks an increase in demand for four wheel drive vehicles and we can expect to see average prices for 4×4 pick-ups rise in the coming weeks.”

“While new van sales are recovering, they are nowhere near the levels seen in pre-recessionary times.  The used sector shortage is set to continue until new van volumes pick up significantly and the economy improves enough to generate a bigger churn of vehicles in the marketplace.”

As I discussed last week, sales of medium vans (Transit-sized vans), which accounts for around 60% of UK van sales, remains nearly 20% lower than it was in 2003 and is down by around 30% on pre-recessions peak levels. Clearly there is a lot of ground to make up still — and so business is likely to remain brisk for those in the used van trade.

One side-effect of this is that van hire companies, which traditionally buy new and keep their vans for a short time, should continue to achieve strong residual values when they sell their vehicles, which will, in turn, help keep rental rates down, adding to the attraction of renting, rather than buying, for businesses whose need for vans varies through the year. In effect, van rental companies are shouldering the burden (quite profitably) of financing and supplying flexible capacity to van operators, who are happy to employ a ‘pay as you go’ model and reduce their finance commitments.

In my view, this situation could continue for some time and may even become permanent, to some extent, as SMEs find it harder to get competitive financing than they used to, while van hire companies are able to enjoy economies of scale and provide ‘all-in’ rates for flexible hire of nearly new vans that make owning or leasing seem unattractive.

Europcar Boosts 8-Seater Fleet To Avoid Driver CPC Requirement

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Europcar logoOn 10th September 2013, new rules came into effect in the UK for drivers of vehicles with nine or more passenger seats. Drivers are now required to hold a Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) if they are engaged in driving such vehicles for hire or reward or for other commercial purposes.

These new requirements affect the ability of charities and other organisations to use minibuses, as many of their drivers may be being paid (hence ‘hire and reward’) but may not hold a current CPC, which requires a minimum number of hours of professional development study each year and must be renewed every five years.

The CPC requirement does not apply to vehicles with eight or fewer passenger seats, and so Europcar has introduced a new vehicle group which is exempt from the CPC rules – comprising a range of vehicles that provide seating for a maximum of 8 passengers, including MPVs and small minibuses. Europcar does also offer a larger minibuses of up to 17 seats, for which a CPC is required, in a seperate vehicle group.

Ken McCall, Managing Director of Europcar UK Group, says that the firm’s objective is to help ensure its customers stay compliant with the CPC rules but are able to carry out their normal business without necessarily being dependent on CPC-qualified drivers:

“We know how important it is for public sector organisations and charities to be able to access vehicles to help people in their local communities”, explained Ken McCall, Managing Director, Europcar UK Group.  “We were very concerned that the new CPC regulations may limit these services if it wasn’t easy for our customers to select the right size vehicle, particularly where a driver may not have a CPC.

“Whilst we fully understand the objectives of the new CPC, there are a number of occasions when a smaller vehicle will suffice and will not, therefore, require the driver to comply with the new rules.”

Under the new rules, professional drivers including lorry and bus and coach drivers and minibus drivers, must hold a CPC, as well as their driving licence, which is renewable every 5 years. The CPC aims to improve the knowledge and skills of lorry, bus and coach drivers, to enhance road safety. For more information, visit the gov.uk Driver CPC website.

Ford Transit Sales Highlight Shrunken Van Market

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Ford Transit Custom High Roof

Regular updates and new models like the Transit Custom have protected Ford’s market share, but there’s no hiding the shrunken state of the UK’s medium van market.

It’s no secret that van sales remain depressed compared to pre-recession levels, but some recent sales figures from Ford enabled me to see just how big this decline has been.

Ford put out a press release in the wake of yesterday’s SMMT van registration figures showing that its share of the European medium van market is at its highest level for more than a decade. More interesting than that were Ford’s historic sales figures for Transit vans since 2002.

Since the medium van market accounts for roughly 60% of UK van sales, it’s a key barometer of the state of the economy. So how is UK plc doing?

Still down 30%

In 2003, Ford sold 72,078 Transits, giving it a 33.2% share of the UK market. In 2012, the blue oval sold 55,259 Transits, giving it a 30.7% share of the UK market.

Using these figures, we can see that the UK medium van market has shrunk from 217,102 in 2003 to 179,996 last year — a 17% reduction over the last decade.

Ford’s figures show that medium van sales peaked in 2006, when sales hit 257,625, before dropping to a low of 134,778 in 2009. So far this year, Ford’s figures indicate that 169,353 medium vans have been sold in the UK, suggesting that the year-end figure will be slightly higher than in 2012, but medium van sales are likely to remain around 30% below the pre-recession peak, providing a stark reminder of how much ground the economy has lost over the last five years.

Used market remains key

Although van hire firms have generally maintained their fleet renewal policies through the recession, there has been a trend towards running vehicles slightly longer, and many other fleet operators and small businesses have definitely kept their vans for longer and delayed new purchases, all of which has helped to contribute to the shortage of decent quality used stock and the ongoing increase in used van prices, which are at record levels, according to auction data.

Ford’s recent move to introduce capped-price servicing for cars and vans over four years old reflects this shift in the market — the firm wants to develop a relationship with owners of older vehicles who might previously have been ‘lost’ to main dealers, in the hope that they will eventually buy a new van, as the economy begins to recover.

However, the overall message is clear — the economy still has a lot of lost ground to make up.

Van sales soar 26.3% in October – SMMT

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Van registrations rose by an impressive 26.3% in October, taking the total increase for the year-to-date to 11%, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

The figures mean that the overall commercial vehicle market, including trucks, is up by 9.8% this year, compared to the same period last year:

UK van and truck registrations: 2013 and % change on 2012

October % change Year-to-date % change Rolling year % change
Vans 22,473 26.3% 227,477 11.0% 262,257 6.6%
Trucks 5,105 32.0% 39,457 3.2% 46,921 -0.9%
Total 27,578 27.3% 266,934 9.8% 309,178 5.4%

Data courtesy of SMMT (www.smmt.co.uk)The increases come on the heels of a 10% increase in van registrations in September, and October’s data show that as expected (by SMMT), truck registrations have turned around in October and are now positive for the year to-date — although they remain lower on a rolling year basis.

“Both the van and truck markets showed great strength in October boosting the sector by 27.3% and taking the 2013 growth rate to almost 10%,” said Nigel Base, SMMT Commercial Vehicle Manager. “We anticipated this late strength in the truck market and SMMT has raised its forecast for van registrations to 264,100 a 10.2% rise on last year.”

What’s hot, and what’s not?

As always, the increase in registrations was not evenly dividend across the different weight categories and types of CV. In the van market, the biggest percentage increase was in the 2.0-2.5t category, where sales rose by 45% from 2,417 in October 2012 to 3,513 in October 2013.

However, the biggest increase by far in volume terms was in the 2.5t – 3.5t market (Transit-sized vans), where sales rose by 32% from 10,187 in October 2012 to 13,447 in October 2013. This increase suggests that big fleet operators are proceeding with fleet renewal plans and that other big buyers — such as van hire companies — are also experiencing strong demand for new vans.

Losers in the van category include sub-2.0t vans, where sales fell by 3.3% from 2,718 to 2,629. I believe that this is partly because there simply are not very many sub-2.0t vans anymore — car-derived vans like the Fiesta and Corsa vans are still under 2t, as is the pint-sized Citroën Nemo and its rebadged siblings, but there aren’t really any others anymore, and they form a definite minority market.

In the truck categories, I was interested to see a 41.7% surge in rigids between 3.5t and 6.0t (see my story on this topic yesterday), while sales of rigds over 16t were up by 34%, suggesting that retail, food distribution and construction companies — the main users for this class of vehicle — are feeling more confident about the economy.

Finally, sales of 3-axle artics were up by 36.6% in October, compared to the same period last year, suggesting that operators are biting the bullet and buying into Euro 6 before they are forced to, and that they can see healthy forward demand for their fleets’ services.

All in all, an encouraging picture, if it can be sustained.

Van Hire Price Comparison: How VanRental.co.uk Works (and why we’re different)

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Van hire price comparison results

Our van hire price comparison engine is unique to us and provides live, real-time quotes while you wait (click for a larger image)

Price comparison websites have spread like wildfire in recent years, but like so many things on the internet, they are not always what they appear to be.

Here’s what we do

Here at vanrental.co.uk, we believe price comparison should mean this:

  • We do not add a single penny to the prices we are quoted by the hire companies
  • We only provide live, real-time quotes, we don’t simply calculate a price from a database of standard tariffs
  • We get our prices directly from a number of different suppliers
  • We offer these prices to you in a clear and transparent way
  • We make it clear which company you will be dealing with
  • You make your booking directly with the hire company, not through us

At the time of writing (November 2013), the companies who provide van and minibus hire prices for vanrental.co.uk fall into two categories, rental companies, and brokers (who source hire vehicles from a number of different companies).

  • Europcar (rental company)
  • National (rental company)
  • Hertz (rental company)
  • Thrifty (rental company)
  • Sixt (rental company)
  • Easirent (rental company)
  • Argus Car Hire (broker)
  • Van Hire 3000 (broker – it’s the van hire arm of rentalcars.com)

Our van hire database also contains details of a number of other companies, for who we cannot provide prices but do provide links to their websites. These companies are always listed at the bottom of our price comparison results.

And here’s what we don’t do…

We don’t deal with a single broker and pass off their prices as our own comparison results, without revealing how many suppliers were price-checked, or which company you might actually be renting from.

We don’t promise a comparison but only deliver a list of branches or phone numbers that you have to contact yourself for quotes.

We don’t make you wait — our price comparison results are instant and are obtained from our partner companies while you wait. The price we offer is normally exactly the same as the price you would get if you went directly to the company’s website.

More about vanrental.co.uk

We have close relationships with a number of suppliers and we have developed our own, in-house, price comparison engine, which searches more than 1,200 branches in over 400 UK locations.

We own the vanrental.co.uk name and business and are completely independent. We have no financial ties or special relationships with any of the companies we deal with — they are all equal and no one can ‘buy’ the top spot.

We have been operating a van hire website since 2007, when the site was founded by Roland Head, who had spotted a need for an independent van hire website that provided information as well as hire company details.

From 2007 – 2011 we traded as MyLocalVanHire.co.uk, and in 2011 we moved to the vanrental.co.uk address to mark the launch of our own, unique price comparison system — which we believe is the most comprehensive van and minibus hire price comparison engine in the UK. vanrental.co.uk is still owned and run by its original founder.

Naturally, all of this does cost money — reliable web hosting and skilled web development don’t come cheap.

vanrental.co.uk makes money in two ways: commission payments on sales we generate for our hire partners, and yearly advertising fees from some of the companies who list their branches on our location pages. All advertisers and partners are treated equally — there is no way that any company can buy its way to the top of the results.

What’s more, any website that claims not to charge anything for its services is either: a) dishonest; b) going out of business soon. 

If you have any questions at all about vanrental.co.uk or van hire generally, we’d love to hear from you. You can get in touch by email, tweet us @vanrentaluk or contact us through our Facebook page, facebook.com/vanrentaluk

Save 5% On Hertz Van Rental & Collect Nectar Points With VanRental.co.uk

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Hertz logo

THIS OFFER HAS NOW EXPIRED

Need to hire a van before Christmas? If you’ve got a Hertz branch near you (click here for a list) then you may need our 5% discount code, which is valid until 31st December 2013. Full details below:

Hertz Discount Code:

5% off with Hertz Van Rental and collect Nectar points too….

Valid from: 16th August to 31st December 2013

Code: 778636

>>Click here to visit the Hertz website<<

Hertz is a name that’s associated with car rental all over the world. The company also offers a comprehensive van hire service in the UK with small, medium and long wheelbase panel vans and luton vans available to rent. Hertz also caters to the needs of students, offering student van hire to drivers aged 19 and over.

Updated Citroën Berlingo Delivers Up To 62.8mpg

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Updated 2014 Citroën Berlingo

The Citroën Berlingo has been updated for 2014 and now offers fuel consumption of up to 62.8mpg and lower emissions.

The UK’s best-selling sub-2.5t small van, the Citroën Berlingo, has been updated for 2014.

This Berlingo gains further fuel economy improvements and emissions reductions as well as being refreshed with exterior changes, a new gearbox and more in-cab storage.

From November production onwards the Berlingo range gains a new chrome grille, new side rubbing strips and revised side skirts.  Internally, to increase the Berlingo’s already high levels of in-cab storage, all Berlingo vans and platform cabs now gain a full-width, over-windscreen storage shelf with map reading lights on either side for both driver and passenger.

In addition, all Berlingo Airdream models previously specified with EGS6 automated manual gearboxes will now be equipped with a new ETG6 (6-speed Efficient Tronic Gearbox). The ETG6 gearbox has been developed to provide improved driveability.

The ETG6 gearbox has optimised pedal mapping to adjust power effectively for smoother start-ups and acceleration. Gear change speeds are modulated more precisely, based on driver input, for improved performance and comfort, and its optimised gear shift patterns further improve efficiency.  All Berlingo vans specified with the new ETG6 gearbox also have Electronic Stability Control (ESC), traction control with Hill Start Assist, a passenger airbag, cruise control with driver-adjustable speed limiter and a new Gear Shift Indicator as standard.

The firm’s flagship Berlingo e-HDi 90 Airdream ETG6 model, which features micro-hybrid technology with Stop & Start and the new ETG6, six-speed automated manual gearbox, now delivers CO2 emissions from just 118g/km and a Combined Cycle fuel economy figure of up to 62.8mpg.

Most buyers are likely to opt for the standard Berlingo L1 model powered by the HDi 90, which also benefits from improved fuel consumption and lower emissions and now has a Combined Cycle fuel economy figure of 56.5mpg and CO2 emissions that have been reduced from 138g/km to 132g/km.

Citroën has also completed a programme to optimise payloads, which has resulted in an increase for virtually every Berlingo van.  As a result the baseline Berlingo HDi 90 Manual L1 850 models now have a maximum available payload of 896kg.

Scott Michael, Citroën’s Head of Commercial Vehicles & Business Centre Programme, remarked:

“The latest changes to the Berlingo will enable this popular model to maintain its position at the top of the sales charts.  In the first three quarters of this year the Berlingo outsold all of its competitors in the up to 2.5tonne gvw small van category, proof of its continuing popularity and versatility.  Operators of both large and small fleets, appreciate the Berlingo’s excellent fuel economy of up to 62.8mpg, low running costs and wide choice of models.”

The Berlingo range includes L1 and L2 versions, which provide a maximum load capacity of up to 4.1m3, a 3-seater Extenso® multi-function folding passenger seat (excluding X models), payloads of up to 896kg, a 5-seat crew van, an enhanced traction XTR+ van and a platform cab for special bodywork.

All Berlingo panel vans are fitted, as standard, with Citroën’s unique – and recently enhanced – Trafficmaster telematics platform, which includes Smartnav dynamic satellite navigation system and Trackstar stolen vehicle tracking.