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

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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

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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.

Tamworth Van Rental from Coton Van and Truck Hire

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I’d like to welcome our newest advertiser, Coton Van and Truck Hire of Tamworth, to the vanrental.co.uk directory. A family-run business established in 1980, Coton Van and Truck Hire is conveniently located on Lichfield Road in Tamworth, Staffordshire and has a comprehensive range of vans for hire:

  • Ford Transit Connect
  • Ford Transits – short, medium and long wheelbase
  • Ford Transit Jumbos (extra-long wheelbase)
  • Luton box vans with or without tail lifts

All vans are fully insured and covered by a comprehensive AA breakdown policy. Coton Van and Truck Hire operates its own garage and MOT test centre on the same site, meaning that all vans are well serviced by the company’s own mechanics and any problems are addressed immediately.

To learn more or make a reservation, contact Coton Van and Truck Hire by phone on 01827 57171 or visit the company’s website at www.cotonvanandtruckhire.co.uk.

If you operate a van hire company and would like to advertise on vanrental.co.uk, click here to visit our advertising page for details of rates and advertising options.

Advanced Van Hire Booking Advised For Summer House Moves

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May and June are often the busiest times of year for moving house, resulting in high demand for large rental vans, especially at weekends. This year, the problem could be even worse as the house market shows signs of recovery but some large van rental companies may still be operating slimmed down fleets, as a legacy of the recession.

If you’re planning to move house this summer we would suggest booking your hire van well in advance – you don’t want to end up with a van that’s too small or even no van at all when it comes to moving day.

If you are unsure what size van you will need, then have a look at our van size guide for some advice on sizes and what they’re most suitable for. As a general rule, if you’ve got much furniture then a Luton van is much easier to fit a lot of stuff in than a panel van. They are also available with tail lifts, which makes lifting heavy items in and out much safer and less back breaking…

Ford Transit – 45 Years & 6 Million Vans

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Ford celebrated two impressive milestones in its history today as the Ford Transit reached its 45th birthday and the 6 millionth Ford Transit rolled off the production lines.

Six million Transits have now been sold worldwide – with the UK’s van drivers accounting for 2.1 million of them.  Ford is celebrating these twin milestones with a new limited edition model, the Transit Sapphire. Only 1,150 Sapphires will be made and the generously-specified model will be available in short, medium and long-wheelbase versions. Goodies included as standard on the Sapphire model include air conditioning, cruise control, uprated stereo with bluetooth and auxiliary input for MP3 players and electric windows.

Here’s a picture of the Sapphire alongside a mk1 Transit – how things have changed in 45 years:

2010 Ford Transit Sapphire & a 1965 Mk1 Transit

A Mk1 Transit from 1965 alongside a 45th anniversary 2010 Transit Sapphire

As it happens, the six millionth Transit came of the line at Ford’s Turkish plant – not its Southampton factory – but the first Sapphire did roll off the line in Southampton, with the keys going to the UK’s first ever Ford dealer, Hendy Group, which sells around 3,000 Transits every year and is celebrating its own centenary this year.

Hendy Group MD Paul Hendy collecting the keys of his 45th anniversary Transit Sapphire

Hendy Group MD Paul Hendy collecting the keys of his 45th anniversary Transit Sapphire

European & Malvern Van Hire from Vanomos.com

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I’m very pleased to welcome Vanomos to the vanrental.co.uk van hire directory. Vanomos is based in Malvern in the UK and Torrevieja in Spain and offers a comprehensive range of UK and European van hire services, including:

Vanomos operates a modern fleet of long wheelbase Transit panel vans and 3.5t Luton vans from its Malvern and Torrevieja depots. All vehicles are fully insured for European use and come with European breakdown cover.

The Vanomos team are very experienced when it comes to European hire and will happily advise on routes, ferries and the time required for cross-border journeys.

To find out more, visit Vanomos.com or contact them on +44 (0)7714 753926 or by email at kelly@vanomos.com

If you’d like to see your van hire company listed on vanrental.co.uk, click here for details of our advertising options.

St Helens Van Rental from Smile Van & Minibus Hire

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I’m delighted to welcome our newest advertiser to the vanrental.co.uk van hire directory. Smile Van & Minibus Hire is based on Manor Street in St Helens, Merseyside.  Smile Van & Minibus Hire is no longer operational.

Smile offers a full range of vans for hire – from small Transit Connects right up to Transit Jumbos (extra-long wheelbase) and Luton vans with tail lifts. Smile also has a range of minibuses for hire and claims to offer the lowest prices in the area – bar none!

Contacting Smile Van & Minibus Hire

Smile doesn’t currently have a website but can be contacted by email or telephone at anytime:

Smile Van & Minibus Hire is no longer operating.

  • Telephone: Removed
  • Email: Removed

Air Chaos Makes Minibus Hire the Sensible Choice

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The recent disruption to European travel has meant that rail operators, coach companies and cross-channel ferry services have all been at full capacity recently.

We’ve certainly seen a boost in the level of interest in minibus hire over the last few days, with people realising that for groups of people (up to 15 or 17) travelling within the UK, hiring a minibus makes perfect sense and is cost effective, too.

You can find a minibus rental branch close to you and get an instant quote by using our minibus hire search facility – click here to get started.

Pre-Reserve Your Renault Electric Van Now

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Renault Kangoo Z.E.

The finalised design for the electric Renault Kangoo Z.E.,shown tethered to a charging point

Renault has finalised the designs of its first two electric models, the Fluence Z.E. and the Kangoo Z.E., which will be an electric version of the popular Kangoo van. Both models can now be pre-reserved on the Renault Z.E. website and are due to go on sale sometime around the middle of 2011, according to Renault.

The Kangoo Z.E. will have “the same practical functions as the internal combustion-engined vehicle”, according to Renault. This will include an identical payload, load space and cab configuration. In addition, Renault boasts that drivers will be able to enjoy the benefits of “a silent ride and responsive performance, the immediate availability of torque as soon as it starts, no gear changes, low running costs and, of course, the satisfaction of owning a zero-emissions* vehicle. “

*road use related CO2 emissions

Pre-reserving either the Fluence Z.E. or the Kangoo Z.E. will put prospective buyers at the top of the waiting lists for these vehicles and ensure that they are kept up to date on progress as production gets closer. Renault openly admits that the primary market for the Kangoo Z.E. will be fleets – such a van should make an ideal urban/semi-urban delivery vehicle, running a known mileage on fixed routes and able to be charged every night, on private premises.

Renault Kangoo Z.E. dashboard, showing charge meter

The dashboard of the electric Kangoo - notice the charge meter instead of a fuel gauge

The Renault-Nissan Alliance has invested €4bn in its electric vehicle program and is lobbying governments all over the world to encourage them to create the infrastructure needed (such as charging points) to making using electric vehicles practical. They are obviously serious about electric power and believe that by 2020, 10% of the world market – a bold claim, but just about plausible to my ears, anyway.

Buying A New Van? Consider A Euro 5 Model To Reduce VED

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If you are considering buying a new van this year, you might want to look for a Euro 5 model. New 2010/11 rates of road tax for vans mean that new vans that aren’t Euro 5 compliant will cost nearly twice as much to tax as Euro 5 models.

Euro 5-compliant vans will cost £125 to tax for a year in 2010/11, against a standard rate of £200 for other new vans. Although it’s not a huge amount when set against the cost of a new van, the lower rate is guaranted for the lifetime of the van and non-Euro 5 vans may be penalised further in years to come.

Owners of Euro 4 vans registered between 01/03/2003 and 31/12/2006 will also benefit from the £125 rate in 2010/11 – although owners of Euro 4 vans registered since this period have to pay the standard £200 rate of tax.

Owners of most other vans will pay around £200 for a year’s road tax if their van was registered after 01/03/2001 and £205 if it was registered before this date and has an engine larger than 1549cc.

For full details of current rates, click here for the 2010/11 DVLA fact sheet.

What Euro 5 Vans Are Available?

The bad news is that the range of Euro 5 vans available is limited at present. As far as I know, these are the only current models available with Euro 5 engines at present (remember that not all versions of each model may be Euro 5):

  • Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
  • Volkswagen Crafter
  • Volkswagen Caddy & Caddy Maxi
  • Volkswagen Transporter
  • Ford Transit ECOnetic
  • New Fiat Doblo Cargo
  • New Renault Master
  • New Vauxhall Movano
  • Iveco Daily

What this list shows is that several major manufacturers have launched new versions of their largest vans recently, and that these larger models have been the first to get Euro 5 engines – although their heavier HGV cousins have had Euro 5 models available for some time now.

The choice of smaller vans with Euro 5 engines is pretty limited and Ford’s Transit currently seems to be lagging behind in the larger van category, too, with only the ECOnetic available in Euro 5 spec. The ECOnetic only comes in FWD/SWB/low roof spec so is not suitable for all Transit owners. The popular Renault Trafic/Vauxhall Vivaro is only available with Euro 4 engines at present, too – although I suspect this will be remedied fairly soon, given Renault’s excellent reputation for modern diesels.