Category Archives: Van Hire News

News and special offers from other UK van hire and rental companies.

Mercedes Sprinter

Can you still hire a van in lockdown?

Mercedes Sprinter

The UK is in lockdown again. Government rules say you should stay at home unless you need to leave for essential reasons. If you do venture out, stay local unless you are required to travel for work or other permitted reasons.

Car and van hire has been designated as an essential business by the government, so most van hire companies are still open as usual. Our van hire price comparison system is working as usual to help you find van hire near you.

If you’re moving house, you should still be able to rent a van to help on the day (moving house is still allowed).

How Covid-19 lockdown is affecting van hire

To ensure customers and staff stay safe, most van hire companies have implemented thorough deep cleaning routines for all vehicles between hire bookings.

Although most van hire companies are open for business, our experience is that you may find some differences in availability compared to normal. Our information suggests that some large companies may have closed selected branches. Some local independent companies may be busier than usual, others may be less busy.

If you’re looking for van hire in your local area we’d suggest booking a little further ahead of time if possible.

There’s also a second consideration. Is your journey essential? We’re not here to enforce the lockdown rules and neither are the hire companies. But we think it’s only right to say that unless you need to rent a van for essential activities, you should perhaps delay your hire until the UK lockdown is eased.

It’s possible that you’ll be asked about the purpose of your journey, especially if you travel outside your local area. We know of several people who’ve been stopped by the police on motorways when travelling long distances recently.

With all that said, if you need to hire a van, you should be able to do so during lockdown.

Stay safe out there!

Man loading boxes into van

Enterprise opens new Amesbury Car Club van hire location

Enterprise van hire

Van hire giant Enterprise has opened a new Enterprise Car Club location in Amesbury, Wiltshire. Vehicles available at the new location include several cars plus a Volkswagen Crafter van, which will be based at the Amesbury Holiday Inn.

Car (and van)-sharing clubs are an increasingly popular alternative to vehicle ownership and daily rental. For town and city dwellers who need a vehicle for a few hours every now and then, we think they’re a superior alternative to owning a vehicle.

In some situations, they’re even (dare I say it) better than standard car and van hire.

Enterprise’s Car Club charges start at £3.45 per hour for regular users and £4.95 per hour for regular club members. There’s even a student hire option which allows drivers aged 19-21 to hire vehicles from just £5.95 per hour. Kudos to Enterprise for making this available — most companies exclude drivers under 22.

As you’d expect, all vehicles receive a comprehensive clean between hires. This does mean that availability is lower than usual at the moment, as longer than usual is required between hires to allow the vehicle to be cleaned.

You can find out more about Enterprise Car Club on the website – or for more options, check out our hourly van hire page.

driiveme.co.uk logo

One-way van hire for £1 from Edinburgh Airport

driiveme.co.uk logo

I wrote recently about how you can hire a van (or car) for £1 using an exciting new service, Driiveme.co.uk=>*

The company says that a new contract win means that a significant number of £1 one-way van rental deals will now be available from Edinburgh Airport, to popular destinations across the UK.

As you may have guess, the reason why these one-way hires are so cheap is that you have to drop the van off in a certain destination, within a fixed time limit. What Driiveme.co.uk does is find drivers for rental companies who have vehicles that need moving around the country.

Effectively, you’re acting as a free delivery driver. In return, you get (almost) free use of the van. That seems fair to me. To look for £1 van hire in your area, click here=>*

*Driiveme.co.uk website⇒This is an affiliate link. If you book a hire with Driiveme.co.uk after clicking on this link, we’ll receive a small payment.

Volkswagen Crafter

Here’s how you can hire a van for £1

New 2018 Ford Transit Custom

What can you get for £1 these days? Not very much. But one thing you can do is hire a van (or car) for just £1 from major hire companies through the driiveme.co.uk website⇒*.

What’s the catch?

Here’s the deal. Big hire companies need to ‘rebalance’ their fleets. That means moving cars and vans from one location to another so that they’re available to hire in the right locations.

One way to do this is for the companies to pay drivers or vehicle transporters. But that’s expensive for them and a bit wasteful too.

driiveme.co.uk logo

The other alternative is to rent out the vehicles for £1 to customers who want to travel those routes.

The advantage of this is that it saves a wasted journey — you want to travel from A to B and the van (or car) needs to be moved from A to B. So it’s a win-win situation.

The £1 charge is only needed to activate the hire vehicle’s insurance. Apart from that, all you have to pay for is fuel.

Obviously there is a catch: you have to take the car or van between two fixed locations, usually within 24 hours. But if the route works for you, then this can be a brilliant and cheap way to move around the UK.

To find out more, take a look at the driiveme.co.uk website⇒* and see what’s on offer today.

*driiveme.co.uk website⇒ This is an affiliate link. If you book a hire with driiveme.co.uk after clicking on this link, we’ll receive a small payment.

ULEZ sale at BCA

Rental advantages stack up as emissions net tightens

ULEZ sale at BCA
Demand is high for ULEZ-compliant Euro 6 vans. Auction group BCA recently held its first ULEZ sale.

With less than three weeks to go until the London ULEZ (Ultra-Low Emissions Zone) comes into force on 8 April, van emissions are a hot topic at the moment.

The disruption caused by changing emissions rules doesn’t stop there. Last year’s switch to the WLTP emissions testing regime for new cars and vans caused disruption to new vehicle supplies across Europe, as the new testing system caused bottlenecks for manufacturers.

The introduction of the ULEZ in London means that anyone who isn’t driving a Euro 6 diesel will face a £12.50 daily charge for driving inside the congestion zone (the area will be expanded in 2021). Realistically, this isn’t a viable choice for daily operation — doing so five days a week would cost £3,250 per year.

Should you switch to rental?

Of course, drivers using rental vans don’t have any of these problems. The majority of hire companies are already operating Euro 6 vans. And increasingly, companies such as Europcar are also offering petrol and electric choices as well.

With cities such as Birmingham and Leeds due to introduce Clean Air Zones in the next few years, the emissions problem isn’t going away. But operators wanting to update their fleet to Euro 6 models may find that supplies are limited and prices rising, even for used models.

Auction group BCA recently held its first dedicated ULEZ van sale, where all vehicles were Euro 6 compliant or electric/hybrid vans. As part of the sale, BCA guaranteed that all vans being sold would be able to enter the Ultra Low Emission Zone without charge.

A total of 148 vehicles went under the hammer, selling an average of 104% of their CAP book price — i.e. they sold for more than their book value. Some used dealers at the auction confirmed that they are now only retailing Euro 6 models.

With such strong demand, used van prices are likely to remain high, in my opinion. I think many van operators could be better off outsourcing their vehicle supply to large rental firms and focusing on their core business.

Indeed, all of this brings to mind a famous quote from oil baron J Paul Getty, once the world’s richest man. Talking about business, Getty said:

“If it appreciates, buy it. If it depreciates, lease it”

There’s no doubt at all what category vehicles fall into. From the day you buy them, they depreciate and cost you money to maintain. If you’re still running Euro 5 or older vans, I think there’s a real risk that their used value will collapse over the next few years. I suspect that no one will want to buy vans that are effectively banned from many major towns and cities.

In my view, unless transport is a core part of your business, van operators are better advised to consider long-term flexible rental deals such as those from Europcar and Northgate.

If you’re looking for daily van rental quotes for your business, you can compare prices with our independent van hire price comparison engine.

Citroen Berlingo L2 electric van

Europcar van fleet update adds electric power and luxury

Citroen Berlingo L2 electric van
The Citroen Berlingo electric van in L2 (long) wheelbase.

It’s good to know that once in a while, I’m actually right about something. Back in July last year I predicted that “van hire companies may soon need electric van fleets“.

Fast forward eight months, and I’ve just learned that Europcar has started buying Citroen Berlingo Electric vans for use in urban areas, especially London Congestion Charging zone. When the London Ultra-Low Emissions Zone comes into force in April 2019, electric vans will qualify for a 100% discount.

Alongside this change, the company has also ordered 100 new Citroen Berlingo vans in Enterprise specification. This high-end spec includes the kind of equipment list that’s more usually found on cars.

Standard spec for the Berlingo Enterprise includes air conditioning, rear parking sensors, cruise control, speed limiter, automatic electronic parking brake, alarm, one-touch electric windows, heated and electrically-operated folding door mirrors, front fog lights with cornering function and tyre pressure monitoring. 

Europcar says that private rental customers increasingly expect the comfort and convenience features of a modern car. Meanwhile business customers, who increasingly use rental vans for long periods, want to ensure that their drivers are well-supported and able to do their job comfortably and efficiently.

Moving house with a van

Are van sharing clubs a better choice than van hire?

Moving house with a van
Shifting your stuff is much easier in a van than in your parents’ car! Think about sharing with an older driver to avoid age restrictions.

When you hire a van, there are times you only need it for a couple of hours.

Some companies do offer van hire by the hour, but in major towns and cities hourly van hire is increasingly being replaced by a much more flexible and simple service — van sharing clubs.

The idea is that hire vehicles are left dotted around the city, sometimes in allocated parking spaces. Anyone who is a club member can reserve a van online and then use it for as long — or as little — as they want. Charges are low and often start with a one-hour minimum.

You can pickup and dropoff vehicles 24/7, unlike at traditional rental branches

This concept is probably more familiar for self-service car hire users – car sharing clubs have been around for a while now. But its also increasingly popular with vans. A number of the big hire companies now operate their own van sharing club services. Here’s a quick overview:

  • Enterprise Car Club – Join the club and you can pick up cars or vans by the hour in towns and cities across the UK. More info at www.enterprise.co.uk/en/car-club.html
  • Hertz 24/7 – locations are mainly self-storage facilities, B&Q sites and other similar locations. Very practical for shifting large items such as furniture, DIY supplies or stuff for storage. More info at www.hertz247.co.uk/
  • Zipcar & Zipvan – one of the original dedicated car-sharing services, now expanded to offer vans. In the UK, Zipvan operates in London and a handful of other major cities. More info at www.zipvan.com/
  • Ubeeqo (Europcar) – at present this self-service car hire club is available for cars only, but I suspect that in time vans will also become available. In the meantime, Europcar has a very large network of UK van hire branches, so there’s sure to be one near you. (More info about Ubeeqo here)

Have you used a car or van sharing club? Do you find it cheaper or more convenient than regular car and van hire? Let us know about your experiences in the comments below.

London Low Emission Zone sign

Hiring a van is easiest way to cut emissions

London Low Emission Zone sign

The London LEZ already covers most of the area inside the M25 and is set to become stricter, with a new Ultra-Low Emission Zone planned inside the North/South Circular from 2021.

I’ve often talked about the cost advantages of renting a van for occasional van users. But the environmental gains are equally exciting.

Data released by the British Vehicle Rental & Leasing Association (BVRLA) to mark Green GB Week show that 56% of the UK’s van rental fleet already meets the latest Euro VI emissions standard.

In contrast, just 13% of the UK’s van fleet as a whole is Euro VI. Of course, one reason for this is that the leasing and rental sector is one of the biggest buyers of new vans in the UK. After 2-4 year, most of these vans are then sold into the secondhand market.

But the reality is that buying a cheap, old van seems to be a poor choice, environmentally, compared to occasionally renting a nearly-new van.

This has implications for drivers wanting to travel into the expanding London ULEZ and potentially into other planned Clean Air Zones. Keeping an old van parked up for occasional use in cities could cost you dearly if planned charges are introduced. Plus it’s likely to cost you more to run (and more headaches) than an occasional rental.

Even if you don’t venture into our major cities, you’ll probably be concerned about minimising your impact on air quality, which is already dangerously poor in many areas of the UK.

Our independent van hire price comparison engine allows you to compare van hire prices from most of the UK’s main rental firms. If you’re considering the cost of van hire, why not take a look?

Northgate VW Transporter at Nurburgring

Hire van sets new lap record at Nürburgring

VW Transporter at Nurburging

Rob Austin’s stock Volkswagen Transporter hire van has set a new unofficial lap record of the Nurburgring

A standard production model Volkswagen Transporter supplied by Northgate Vehicle Hire has set a new unofficial lap record around the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife race circuit.

The van was piloted by British Touring Car driver Rob Austin, who is normally found behind the wheel of a highly-tuned Alfa Romeo Giulietta.

Rob took some time off his day job to try and beat 10 minute 8 second time set by German racer Sabine Schmitz in a Ford Transit for Top Gear in 2005.

Northgate VW Transporter at Nurburgring

Rob succeeded and clocked up a 9m58s lap, setting an unofficial new record:

As far as I know, this is a record for a standard van. But I do remember that back in 2013, tuning firm Revo souped up an earlier VW Transporter and squeezed out a 9 minute 57 second lap at the ‘Ring:

And finally, no discussions of ‘Ring lap records in vans would be complete without including footage of Sabine Schmitz’s legendary 2005 lap for Top Gear, which she completed in 10m 8s in a rather slower Ford Transit:

You’ve got to love the footage of a Transit van passing fast cars and motorbikes on the Nurburging. Just goes to show that most of the time, speed is about the driver, not the vehicle.

Moving house with a van

Heading back to uni? Don’t leave home without renting a van

Moving house with a van

Shifting your stuff is much easier in a van than in your parents’ car! Think about sharing with an older driver to avoid age restrictions.

It’s that time again. Students are flocking back to university with all of their ‘stuff’. If this is you — or your son/daughter — then it’s time to start thinking about renting a van.

To help you get on the road and enjoy a stress-free journey #backtouni, we’ve put together some links to help you get started with van hire:

  • To get started, check out our student van hire guide. This includes details of minimum age restrictions at popular hire companies and other useful tips.
  • One-way van hire: this can be a great solution for students old enough to drive themselves back to uni. We highlight some of the main companies offering this service and explain what you need to know.
  • Got questions about driving licence requirements or age limits? This guide should help.
  • Insurance worries? The excess on rental vans is generally £1,000 or more. So purchasing excess protection insurance can help. Most hire companies sell this by the day, but it’s sometimes cheaper to buy it yourself beforehand — see here for ideas and discount codes.
  • First time? Check out our van size guide and our guide to hiring a van for the first time.
  • Finally… if you haven’t driven a van before, don’t leave home without taking a look at our guide to driving a hire van for the first time.

Once you’re ready to book, our unique van hire price comparison engine enables you to compare prices from many of the UK’s largest and most popular van hire companies.

Please don’t leave it too late — as term starts near popular sizes of van are often booked and some companies may raise their prices…

We hope our tips will get you on the road safely, cheaply and quickly. But if you’ve got any van hire questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch on Twitter @vanrentaluk, via our Facebook page or by good old-fashioned email.