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.

New Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Will Be First Euro VI Van

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New 2013 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter

The new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter will be the first van to meet the Euro 6 emissions standard.

Mercedes-Benz has released details of the next generation Sprinter van, which will be the first van in the world to meet the Euro 6 emissions standard across the entire range.

The new Sprinter will offer fuel consumption of up to 44.4mpg, along with lower emissions, class-leading safety systems and longer service intervals of up to 37,000 miles.

The new van will be available to order from June 2013, with deliveries due to start in September 2013.

Class-leading safety

Five new assistance systems — including several van firsts — will help reduce the number of accidents even further in the new Sprinter.

The following systems will make their world debut in the Sprinter: Crosswind Assist, which is fitted as standard, and Collision Prevent Assist and Blind Spot Assist, which are both optional. Other new features are Highbeam Assist and Lane Keeping Assist. As one of the functions of the Electronic Stability Program, Crosswind Assist will be part of the vehicle’s range of standard equipment.

Lower emissions but power remains unchanged

The new Sprinter is the world’s first van to meet the future Euro VI emissions standard in all of its engine variants. Euro VI drastically reduces the emission limits for nitrogen oxides (NOx), total hydrocarbons (THC), and particulate mass. The Sprinter will achieve these strict limits with the help of its BlueTEC engine and Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology, which injects AdBlue into the exhaust gases.

The engine performance of the new Sprinter will remain unchanged, with four- and six-cylinder diesel engines providing a range of power outputs from 95 hp to 190 hp. A 1.8-litre supercharged natural gas engine will also be available offering 156 hp.

Sprinter customers will be able to choose between ECO-Gear six-speed manual transmission or the 7G-TRONIC PLUS seven-speed automatic transmission with lock-up clutch, which is the only system of its kind to be found in a van.

Best-in-class fuel consumption

According to Mercedes, the new Sprinter will offer the best fuel consumption in its segment, with fuel economy of up to 44.4mpg possible on certain models specified with the firm’s BlueEFFICIENCY PLUS package, which includes a longer axle ratio and various other modifications.

In Europe, the Sprinter will come with Mercedes’ ASSYST maintenance calculation system, which extend the Sprinter’s service intervals up to 37,000 miles in certain usage conditions.

Available June 2013

The new Sprinter has undergone more than five million miles of endurance testing and extensive customer trials in everyday use.

The new van will be available to order from June 2013, with deliveries due to start in September 2013.

Mercedes Unveils Brand New Euro 6 Unimog Range

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I know it’s not a van, but my recent Unimog picture posts have proved popular and so I thought I would share a picture of Mercedes’ next-generation Unimog, which will be Euro 6 compliant.

This will make Merc the first manufacturer to offer Euro 6 compliance across the full spectrum of commercial vehicles, nine months before it becomes compulsory:

Next-generation Euro 6 Mercedes-Benz Unimog

The next-generation Euro 6 Mercedes-Benz Unimog

It’s a fine looking beast, although I can’t help feeling that like the current Unimog, it looks slightly like an alien vehicle from another planet…

Euro VI Unimog specification

Mercedes has only released this one picture so far, but I can tell you that the model above will form part of a ten-model Unimog lineup, which will include designations from U216 to U5024. Production is due to start at Mercedes’ Wörth plant in September.

Mercedes’ new BlueEfficiency Power medium-duty engines have already been introduced to its regular truck range, and these new models are the result of a €135m programme to upgrade the brand’s special-purpose vehicles to use the new engines. The four and six-cylinder engines have outputs ranging from 115 kW (156 hp) to 260 kW (354 hp) and will make the Unimog more efficient overall, despite the extensive design changes that were implemented to ensure compliance with Euro VI.

Cabs and other design aspects have also been updated — the Unimog is not the only vehicle to benefit from the new engines — the Econic, best known in the UK for its use on bin lorries — is also included, as it’s also made by Merc’s Special Trucks unit.

Larkfield Van Rental: Seymour Self Drive Hire & Storage

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Seymour Hire of LarkfieldI’m very pleased to welcome our newest advertiser, Seymour Hire of Larkfield (near Maidstone, Kent) to vanrental.co.uk.

Seymour Hire offers a range of cars and vans for hire and also provides car transporter trailers  and dropside vans with towbars. Here’s a rundown of Seymour Hire’s rental fleet:

  • Car-derived vans
  • Small vans
  • Medium vans (e.g. Vauxhall Vivaro SWB)
  • Large vans (e.g. Fiat Ducato LWB)
  • Luton vans with tail lifts
  • 3.5t dropside / beavertail vans with towbar
  • 7.5 tonne box trucks with tail lifts

Seymour Hire also provides a range of small and medium-sized cars and also has both split floor and solid floor car transporter trailers. Finally, Seymour can rent you a Land Rover Freelander and car transporter trailer together, providing a complete solution for anyone needing to move a car or other small vehicle.

Seymour Hire is located on New Hythe Lane in Larkfield, which is around six miles from Maidstone and situated midway between the M20 and M2, providing excellent transport links to the rest of the UK.

For more details or to arrange a quote or hire, contact Seymour Hire direct:

If you’d like to advertise your van or minibus hire business on vanrental.co.uk, click here to take a look at our advertising page for full details of what we offer.

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.

Environment Agency Chooses Citroën Vans To Cut Emissions

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Citroen Berlingo Enterprise belonging to the Environment Agency

The Environment Agency has taken delivery of 31 Citroën Berlingo vans fitted with bespoke Bristor Racking Systems, Lighting Bars and other accessories

The Environment Agency (EA) has just bought 31 Citroën Berlingo HDi 90 Enterprise small vans as part of its commitment to reduce the carbon footprint of its light commercial vehicle (LCV) fleet.

Graham Patrickson, EA Fleet Operations Manager, explains:

“This latest purchase of Berlingo vans is part of the EA’s continuing drive to reduce the carbon footprint of its LCV fleet, while reducing costs and raising operational efficiency.  Not only meeting, but exceeding our green targets is at the forefront in all our vehicle selection processes – and the Berlingo Enterprise has all the green credentials required by the EA.”

The EA – an agency within the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) – is allocating its 31 Berlingo vans to staff involved in flood defence and maintenance work, as well as to EA specialists carrying out environmental management monitoring.

To meet individual user requirements, the EA has worked with racking specialist Bri-Stor to develop a number of internal racking layouts and equipment specifications.

Bri-Stor is fitting the Berlingos with its latest high tensile steel racking (which is up to 45% lighter than the system previously supplied to the EA), white polycarbonate load area lining and roof light bars, while the users get a choice of options, including hand wash units, tow bars, ladder racks, inverters and roof vents.

Supplied through Springfield Citroën of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the well-equipped Berlingo Enterprise vans come with air conditioning, Bluetooth® and rear park sensors as standard and have Citroën’s Trafficmaster package, which includes Smartnav satellite navigation and Trackstar stolen vehicle tracking. The EA will operate its Berlingo vans for a minimum of five years, with the maintenance out-sourced to Hitachi Capital.

New Mercedes Citan MPV Disappoints With 3-Star Euro NCAP Score

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Mercedes-Benz Citan

The Mercedes-Benz Citan in van format.

The new Mercedes-Benz Citan van has been given a Euro NCAP rating of just three stars for the MPV model.

Mercedes’ cars, vans and trucks generally have an excellent reputation for safety. Since 2009, every single new Mercedes car model rated by Euro NCAP has gained the maximum five-star rating.

Until now.

Mercedes new Citan van and MPV has been given a three-star safety rating by Euro NCAP, which conduct safety tests on all new car models sold in Europe. Euro NCAP described the results as “middle of the road”, but it’s a rare miss for a company with such high safety standards.

At the root of the problem are probably two factors. Firstly, the new Citan is basically a rebadged Renault Kangoo — it wasn’t designed by Mercedes and can only be adapted to Merc’s standards to a limited extent. Secondly, it’s basically a van, even though the version tested by Euro NCAP was the MPV model.

Vans and light commercial vehicles don’t have a great record in Euro NCAP tests, especially when it comes to pedestrian safety and safety assist systems, the two areas in which the Citan’s scores were weakest.

Here’s an overview of the Citan’s Euro NCAP test results (for full details, click here):

  • Adult Occupant: 74%
  • Child Occupant: 69%
  • Pedestrian: 56%
  • Safety Assist: 33%
  • Overall: ***

To be fair to Renault and Mercedes, they are not alone in struggling to deliver high safety test scores for this class of vehicle. The current Peugeot Expert, an equivalent model, was also given a three-star rating by Euro NCAP when it was tested in 2012, as was the smaller Citroen Nemo in 2010.

I couldn’t find recent results for any other van-based models — all of the others in Euro NCAP’s database were from 2009 or earlier, when the tests were slightly different and not directly comparable.

Europcar Launches New UK Hire Website

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Europcar new branding

Europcar’s new logo

Europcar claims that the new website allows customers to book a van within 60 seconds from any page on the website, along with a range of other new features and benefits:

  • Reservations can be made in less than 60 seconds – from any page on the site!
  • An innovative, ‘drag’ button gives access to the vehicle selector
  • Advanced filters help the customer find the vehicle that best fits their needs
  • Up to 10 favourite quotes can be saved for quick and easy comparison
  • Simplified access to My Europcar enables customers to create driver profiles and manage bookings for even faster service at rental locations
  • Customers can add their Coupon Code before completing their reservation to benefit from great offers

The new website and logo is part of the launch of the company’s Moving your way brand positioning, and is intended to provide a more intuitive and richer booking process. Commenting on the launch, Ken McCall, Europcar UK Group Managing Director said:

“Our new brand promise, ‘Moving your way’, demonstrates the company’s commitment to support the mobility needs of our customers throughout their lives. Our diversified solutions provide our customers with more freedom and enable them to exploit the benefits of car hire for the complete mobility experience. However you choose to move, Europcar will move for you and with you”

The new website design was launched on 16th April 2013 across 15 of Europcar’s main country websites, including the UK.

B&Q Shopper Wins New Vauxhall Van In Prize Draw

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Vauxhall Combo winner Stuart Weir at B&Q Tradepoint Aberdeen

Vauxhall Combo winner Stuart Weir at B&Q Tradepoint Aberdeen

B&Q Warehouse customer Stuart Weir has won a brand new Vauxhall Combo van, thanks to a competition being run by Vauxhall and B&Q’s trade subsidiary, Tradepoint.

The brand new white Vauxhall Combo ecoFLEX 1.3CDTi (90PS) van with Start/Stop was presented to lucky winner Stuart, who is from Peterhead, at the B&Q Warehouse store in Aberdeen.

The new Combo was given away as part of a promotional campaign involving 97 days of events at 58 B&Q stores throughout the UK.

Stuart entered the prize draw during the event at the B&Q Aberdeen store where local Vauxhall retailer Peter Vardy was displaying the full range of Vauxhall Commercial Vehicles, including a new Combo similar to the one Stuart has won.

Stuart said:

“I’m absolutely delighted to have won new Vauxhall Combo and will make very good use of its versatility and capability.”

Regular B&Q customers around the UK may already be familiar with the companies van-centric brand — global rental giant Hertz operates its Hertz on Demand hourly rental scheme from more than 100 B&Q branches around the UK.