Tag Archives: vanhire

Use Van Hire to Cut Costs and Get Dangerous Bangers Off the Road

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A recent data from the Freight Transport Association (FTA) showed that half of all vans on the roads over 3 years old are unroadworthy*. Europcar, the leading car and van hire company in Europe, is urging businesses to consider van hire as a cost-effective, flexible, and most importantly, safe alternative to running a fleet of older vans.

The FTA study found that there was an almost 50% failure rate on first time MOTs for vans, a sobering statistic, and one which Europcar believes demonstrates it is not always best for a business to run its own fleet of vans. As the industry changes, van rental can offer a solution which not only provides newer vans for use, but is also more flexible for a changing market.

Ken McCall, Managing Director of Europcar UK Group, explains:

“These figures from the FTA go to illustrate something that has been known within the industry for a long time – businesses are holding onto vans for longer, without having them properly maintained. This is a false economy for businesses at a time when costs are all important – as eventually the vans will either breakdown or fail their MOT.

“Rental provides the answer. Vans that are on average under 9 months old and maintained to the highest standard are available at short notice, providing a flexible fleet of vehicles for usage which can actually save businesses money.”

Listening to the changing needs of its customers, Europcar has recently undertaken a rapid expansion in its van network and portfolio of products. These innovations include increasing the number of locations where vans are available to 172 across the UK, extending operational hours and offering a discount of 25% for overnight rentals.  The core make-up of vans on the Europcar fleet has also been enhanced to ensure it remains the leading provider of vans in the UK.

“While it may seem counter-intuitive to some businesses to hire all or part of their van fleet rather than own, the market is changing, and owning and maintaining a costly fleet of vans is no longer the default option” concluded Ken McCall.  “Europcar has recognised this change in the behavior of businesses and evolved its van fleet accordingly, taking innovative steps to ensure our vans not only offer a supplementary service to fleets, but are actually a viable alternative.”

Click here to get an instant quote for Europcar van hire.

*Source: FTA, March 2013

Car and Van Hire Delivers £14bn of UK GDP

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The UK’s car and van rental industry contributes £14bn to the UK’s economy each year, according to a new report commissioned by the BVRLA, the industry’s trade body. That’s equivalent to £1 in every £90 of UK GDP when the operations of the industry itself, the UK-made vehicles and engines it purchases, the activity of UK dealerships and its impact on the used car market are taken into account.

Not all car and van hire businesses have thrived during the recession, but it has remained pretty healthy and some operators have thrived. The success of the industry has been helped by innovative and forward-thinking companies such as this one, that have realised that daily hire can be a meaningful substitute for ownership and leasing, removing the balance sheet risk and financing difficulties from businesses, leaving them free to concentrate on their core activities.

In terms of jobs, the industry employs 38,000 people directly and a further 145,000 people through wider supply chain and consumer spending effects. The total employment supported by the industry is equivalent to 1 in every 175 workers in the UK, and the sector generates around £2.8 billion of tax revenue per year.

The automotive sector is one of the UK’s few manufacturing success stories and vehicle rental and leasing companies are among its largest customers, purchasing an estimated 220,000 vehicles in 2011. This is 15% of total output but a massive 82% of UK vehicles sold to domestic customers. This expenditure is estimated to have supported a £2.4 billion contribution to GDP, 52,000 jobs and £810 million in tax receipts.

In the same year, the vehicle rental and leasing industry’s expenditure on foreign-made vehicles containing UK-made engines is estimated to have generated a £349 million contribution to GDP, 7,600 jobs and £120 million in tax receipts.

The vast majority of this business is conducted through motor dealers. In 2011, the sector purchased £11.1 billion of foreign-made vehicles from UK dealerships. This activity supported a £98 million contribution to GDP, 2,000 jobs and £31 million in tax receipts.

There is also a positive environmental angle to this activity. The industry can rightfully claim to play a leading role in driving down emissions. At 123g/km, the CO2 emissions of the average lease car registered in 2012 was 25% cleaner than the average car on UK roads.

Sounds like a good reason to consider hiring a van instead of owning one, especially if you don’t need it every day.

Avoid This £1,000 Insurance Risk Next Time You Hire A Van

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The long bank holiday weekends are traditionally when many people carry out DIY jobs around the house. Research on the cost of van hire over the May bank holidays reveals that DIY enthusiasts and home movers could be out of pocket by up to £1000 if the vehicle gets damaged, even if it’s not the driver’s fault.

This is a subject we covered in a recent post, but it does bear repeating, given how high the excess costs usually are with hire vans.

Almost two-thirds (65%) of van hirers are driving a van for the first time, increasing the risk of a minor reversing accident or scrape — or even roof damage from overhead obstructions… The problem is that the hire companies’ excess insurance is usually pretty expensive, making it tempting to take the risk and not bother.

The good news is that with a small amount of pre-planning, you can save up to 50% on hire companies’ somewhat steep rates by buying excess insurance in advance, not from the van rental company.

iCarhireinsurance.com, a leading supplier of van and car hire excess insurance protection, researched the costs of hiring an average sized van (Transit 280) in Manchester for the May bank holiday weekends (4 – 7 May and 25 – 28 May 2013) from three leading van hire companies, Europcar, National and Sixt.

Save up to 50% on insurance

The rental cost was found to be similar from all providers at just over £100 for the four days, but the excess liability, i.e. the first part of any claim that the driver pays, ranged from £800 to £1000.

Buying cover direct from the van rental companies to protect themselves from this expense could cost up to £66, or £16.50 a day, compared with a policy from iCarhireinsurance.com at only £7.99 a day (and £31.96 for the four day bank holiday weekend).

Those drivers that believe that they do not need excess cover because they are good drivers may be interested to know that analysis of iCarhireinsurance.com 2012 claims found that over a third (34%) of people that have claimed on their insurance for damage to a hire car or van said that the damage was “not their fault”.

Ernesto Suarez, founder and CEO of iCarhireinsurance.com, said:

“Driving a van is very different to driving a car, therefore we urge DIY enthusiasts and anyone using a van to transport items over the bank holiday weekends to check their excess liability if they don’t want to end up with a large bill they were not expecting. A scrape to the side of a van when loading decking can cost hundreds, if not thousands to fix.”

Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

If you still need to hire a van for the bank holiday weekend, it’s not too late –> click here to compare prices.

Save On Van Hire With Our Exclusive 10% SIXT Discount Code

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Sixt 10pc discount bannerNeed to hire a van? Save up to 10% on SIXT van hire with this exclusive discount code.

No one wants to spend more on van hire than they really have to, and to help you save cash on your next hire, we’ve arranged an exclusive 10% Sixt discount voucher code for vanrental.co.uk users only.

 

Sixt 10pc discount code

 

The code is valid for UK van hire bookings made before the 15th May 2013 for rental periods up to the 31st May 2013. The discount is 10% off the standard rate, other discounts and optional extras such as baby seat and sat nav hire are excluded.

 

Terms & Conditions

This code is available for bookings made between 01/04/2013 and 15/05/2013 for rental periods between 01/04/2013 until 31/05/2013. Availability is restricted to participating UK branches only and is subject to availability. For full terms and conditions visit the Sixt website.

Europcar Launches New Branding On 250 Peugeot Vans

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Europcar's new branding on its UK van fleet

Europcar’s new branding is being debuted out on the company’s UK van fleet, incorporating the slogan ‘moving your way’.

London, February 2013 – Europcar the leader in car hire services in Europe, is unveiling its new branding as it goes onto 250 Peugeot Partner Vans.

Featuring the new brand positioning, ‘Moving your way’, the Peugeot vans available for hire across the UK will help build awareness of the message that Europcar is focused on enhancing the rental experience from start to finish.

Ken McCall, Managing Director, Europcar UK Group says:

“We’re excited to see our new brand positioning rolling out across our UK van fleet.Acting as a quality stamp, ‘Moving your way’ demonstrates Europcar’s commitment to providing vehicle solutions that fit in with the mobility requirements of our customers.”

You can find a full list of Europcar’s UK van hire branches here or book van hire by visiting Europcar’s website.

How To Slash The Cost of Van Hire Excess Insurance

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There’s no doubt that we all hate hidden costs — and much as the UK’s car and van hire companies will deny it, the cost of van hire excess insurance can seem to fall into that category.

Typically, you collect a vehicle that you’ve booked and the hire company representative will point out that your booking includes insurance, but that it carries an excess of perhaps £500 (I think my personal record is £750).

You will then be offered a chance to take out additional insurance to reduce this excess to a much lower figure, or even zero. This usually costs between £10 and £20 per day — a hefty increase on your daily hire rate.

The problem is that you may not want to manage without it — as you could be left seriously out of pocket if anything goes wrong.

There is another way…

Luckily, there is an alternative — you just need to plan ahead.

You see, even if you want to reduce your van hire insurance excess, you don’t need to purchase additional insurance from your hire company. In fact, you can purchase the extra insurance anywhere you like — and luckily there are several companies that specialist in providing this service and can offer you big savings over the standard hire company rates.

What’s more, buying excess insurance from a company like iCarehireinsurance.com is also likely to give you far more comprehensive coverage than typical hire company insurance, which usually excludes tyre, glass and roof damage (a particular problem with big vans).

iCarhireinsurance offers van hire excess reduction (to zero) from just £7.99 per day*. What’s more all their policies include parts of the vehicle that are often excluded from other insurance policies – such as tyres, windscreen, roof and undercarriage.

Buying excess insurance from a specialist company is a no-brainer in terms of cost savings — the only catch is that you need to do it before you pick up your hire vehicle, but since it’s all done on line, that isn’t a big inconvenience.

Why not try it next time you hire a car or van?

Hire A Van From £15 Per Day With Europcar

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Europcar van hire moving houseEuropcar is following up on its New Year Sale with a Spring Van Hire offer that will allow you to hire a van from just £15 per day.

This offer is available for bookings made until 9th April 2013.

**THIS OFFER HAS NOW EXPIRED**

Ken McColl, Europcar UK Group’s Managing Director, explains why the company is running this attractive promotion:

“With many families still bearing the financial brunt of the festive season, our special offer on van hire will help families do more for less and get their house in order again.” said Ken McCall Managing Director, Europcar UK Group.  “We know spring cleaning is a tradition amongst many families so hopefully van hire from £15 per day will provide that extra incentive to get the work done before Easter arrives!”

There are more than 130 Europcar van hire branches in the UK, each offering a range of vans, from small vans like the Vauxhall Combo to large luton box vans that are suitable for small house moves. What’s more, all Europcar vans are fully maintained to manufacturer specifications and covered by 24 hour breakdown, for added peace of mind.

A range of hire packages are available allowing customers to hire from just an hour to a day, a week or even longer. For added efficiency Europcar can deliver vans to home addresses through its weDeliver delivery and collection service.