Ferry sailing away

Beginner’s guide to van hire: Driving abroad & one-way hire

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Ferry sailing away

Taking hire vans on ferries to Europe is perfectly possible, but needs advance planning and permission from your hire company.

Can you take rental vans abroad from the UK?

In many cases the answer is yes, and on our European Hire page we list companies which provide this service.

However, in all cases you must have the right paperwork and get permission from your hire company in advance.

This really is important. Failure to follow the rules could see you fined or result in your vehicle being confiscated while abroad. If you haven’t followed the right procedures, you could also end up driving without valid insurance — another offence.

Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Before you book your hire van, check if the hire company you plan to use allows overseas usage. Specify which countries you will be visiting and what type of van you want to hire, as these factors may affect whether an overseas hire is possible.
  2. When you make the booking, make sure that you make it clear you need to take the van abroad.
  3. Ask about extra costs, insurance, breakdown cover and paperwork.
  4. The most important piece of paperwork is a VE103 document. This shows that you have the owner’s permission to take the vehicle out of its home country.
  5. Make sure you know the total height and length of the van before you book your ferry/Channel Tunnel crossing. Depending on the size of your van and the purpose of your trip, you may need to book as a commercial passenger, not a private/leisure customer.
  6. Finally, make sure you have all the accessories you may need for driving in other countries, such as spare bulbs and reflective vests. Check out the driving rules and speed limits for the countries you’ll be visiting. In my opinion, the best source for this information is The AA’s Driving in Europe guide.

Once all that is done, plan your route and look forward to driving on roads that are often more scenic and less busy than those in the UK.

One-way van hire abroad

People often ask if they hire a van one way to go abroad. In general, this is only possible between the UK and Spain.

The reason for this is that in general, hire vehicles need to be hired out in their country of registration. Returning a hire van in — say — Germany would probably mean that the hire company would have to pay to return the vehicle to the UK. That’s a lot of money lost as a result of transport costs and several days’ of lost hire revenue.

Spain is an exception to this rule, simply because so many British expats live in the popular coastal areas of Spain. There is regular demand for hire vans to transport possessions between areas such as Alicante and Malaga and the UK.

On our Van Hire to Spain page, we list several specialist companies which offer this service from depots in Spain and the UK. If you need to move stuff between Spain and the UK, then take a look.

Note: This isn’t a service that’s offered by regular hire companies. If you need to move to or from Spain and want a one-way hire, you’ll probably need to use one of these specialist hire companies.

Questor Insurance banner

Save 10% on Questor Insurance with August discount code [EXPIRED]

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Questor Insurance banner

Excess insurance specialist Questor Insurance is 10 years old in August.

To celebrate the company’s 10th birthday, the good people at Questor Insurance are offering customers a 10% discount code for August only.

This discount is available on all of Questor’s motor and travel excess insurance policies. This includes car hire excess insurance as well as van and minibus excess insurance.

*** THIS DISCOUNT CODE HAS NOW EXPIRED ***

 

 

Terms and conditions may apply. See Questor website for details.

Northern Lighthouse Board Mercedes-Benz Vito

Buying proves cheaper than van hire for lighthouse keepers

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Northern Lighthouse Board Mercedes-Benz Vito

Very few van operators reach as many remote locations as the Northern Lighthouse Board, which operates more than 206 lighthouses around the coasts of Scotland and the Isle of Man plus a similar number of navigation buoys and beacons.

This demanding operating environment means that reliability and safety is even more important than usual. The NLB has recently taken on five long-bodied Vito 114CDI vans, which are based at the organisation’s operating centre in Oban, on the west coast of Scotland.

These vans are used by technicians who service lighthouses, to ferry supplies to lighthouses accessed by roads and to transport crew members for the NLB’s ships, Pharos and Pole Star.

Three of the five vans are crew van models, with a second row of seats and extra side windows. These allow up to five passengers plus the driver to be carried.

Ewen Mackerchar, its Marine Operations Manager, explained:

“We considered other options but decided on the Vito as it offered a far higher level of specification for the money, and the delivery lead time was shorter. Western Commercial provided a very professional service and handled all of our requests with the utmost efficiency.”

“We’re delighted with our new vans and can see we definitely made the right choice. The Vito is very comfortable for drivers and passengers alike, extremely well appointed and comes with a comprehensive array of safety equipment – as lighthouse operators we spend our lives helping to prevent accidents, so this is an attribute we value very highly.”

Like all Vito models, NLB’s vehicles are fitted with systems including the ADAPTIVE ESP® anti-skid programme, driver and passenger airbags and ABS anti-lock brakes.

They also benefit as standard from Mercedes-Benz Crosswind Assist technology, which ensures stability in the event of a sideways gust, Hill Start Assist — which prevents the vehicle from rolling back when setting off on an incline — and Attention Assist, which detects and warns against driver drowsiness.

Buying cheaper than renting?

Interesting, the NLB used to hire their vans. However, they found that based on planned usage scenarios, owning and operating their own vans would be cheaper.

This is a useful reminder that while renting vans is often the most cost-effective solution, this isn’t always the case, even when other benefits such as fixed rates including servicing and maintenance are taking into account.

Peugeot Partner electric van engine bay

Royal Mail orders 100 electric vans following trials

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Peugeot Partner electric van engine bay

Under the bonnet of a Peugeot Partner Electric van. Royal Mail has signed a deal to buy 100 of these vans.

Royal Mail has orders 100 new Peugeot Partner electric vans for use as delivery vehicles throughout the UK. The deal comes following trials of the Partner Electric.

Commenting on the decision, Paul Gatti, Royal Mail Fleet Director, said that the company’s research had shown that “electric vans are a good operational fit with our business”.

Although Royal Mail still lags behind countries such as Germany, France and Norway — each of which is putting in excess of 1,000 electric vans on the road — it’s good to see that the UK’s postal operator is starting to focus on the next generation of vehicle technology.

While 100 vans isn’t much in the context of Royal Mail’s fleet of 5,500 delivery vans, deploying electric vans in scale will require a lot of new charging infrastructure at sorting offices. I’d have thought that this order will be big enough to get an idea of what’s required, while still small enough to be manageable.

The vans will be used by postmen and women on their delivery rounds. That means short overall journeys but with a very high number of stops, often in heavy traffic. These are ideal conditions for electric vans and will help reduce urban air pollution, much of which results from diesel engines.

The vans will be new Partner L2 electric vans and are expected to go into service in December 2017. The longer wheelbase Partner only became available in electric format earlier this year. The Royal Mail order is the first major fleet deal for this model.

Manheim online van auction

Used van market set for record summer — Manheim

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Manheim online van auction

Buyers attending Manheim van auctions online rose by 16% in June

The number of buyers attending Manheim auctions online rose by 16% in June, compared to May, according to a recent report from the firm.

The company — which is the UK’s largest commercial vehicle auctioneer — said that used van prices rose by 8.5% year-on-year to £5,121.98 in June, as volumes fell. Prices were also 1.5% higher than in May ’17, thanks to a 12% reduction in volumes.

The company expects a strong July and believes that summer 2017 could end up being the strongest on record. However, that company cautioned that “month on month volume levels are proving very difficult to predict”. The volume of vans sold during the second quarter of 2017 was 27% lower than during the first quarter — a big shift.

Early signs are promising for Q3, but I think it’s still too soon to say.

Volkswagen Transporter T6

When it rains, it pours: VW launches petrol Transporter

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Volkswagen Transporter T6

The Volkswagen Transporter is now available with a 2.0-litre TSI petrol engine with 150 PS or 204 PS power ratings.

The Volkswagen Transporter is now available to order with a petrol engine. The move follows the recent price cut for petrol-engined Caddy vans.

Buyers can choose between two 2.0-litre TSI units developing 150 PS and 204 PS. The latter is equipped with a seven-speed DSG gearbox as standard and available for front- or four-wheel drive, while the former comes with a six-speed manual transmission and front-wheel drive only.

Maximum torque or pulling power, is 280 Nm from 1,500 to 3,750 rpm for the 150 PS version, and 350 Nm from 1,500 to 4,000 rpm for the 204 PS. The new units are available for order now, and can be specified across the Transporter range, including in the California campervan, Caravelle Executive, Shuttle, kombi and panel van variants.

These petrol engines naturally have less torque than their diesel equivalents, but for many light and medium-duty applications they’ll be fine. Operators doing low mileage or lots of short journeys should also benefit from fewer DPF problems as their vans age.

Petrol vans are cheaper

One other advantage is that the petrol models are cheaper than their diesel equivalents. VW says that the Transporter Highline T28 panel van with a 2.0TSI 150 PS engine is £1,000 cheaper to buy outright than the equivalent diesel model.

Volkswagen says that this upfront cost saving means that it would take just over 18,000 miles before the diesel’s lower fuel consumption delivered any cost savings. Food for thought for low mileage drivers, such as tradesmen and campervan owners.

Transporter’s with petrol power are available to order now, with prices starting from £22,625 +VAT.

Robot Coupe Mercedes-Benz Vitos

Mercedes-Benz vans blend form with function for mixer firm

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Robot Coupe Mercedes-Benz Vitos

Robot Coupe’s new Vito vans

Robot Coupe probably isn’t a name that rolls of your tongue, unless you happen to work in the catering industry.

The French firm’s upmarket food processers, blenders and vegetable preparation machines are a common sight in commercial kitchens. This equipment isn’t cheap and the company maintains a team of chef demonstrators and service engineers to look after customers around the UK.

To improve load and seating capacity, the firm has just switched a number of its vans from Mercedes-Benz Citan models to larger crew cab Vito vans. These are 114 CDI models which use Merc’s 2.1-litre engine to deliver 136hp to the rear wheels. All of the vans have been specified with optional 7G-TRONIC PLUS automatic gearboxes to make life easier for drivers who spend a lot of time in traffic.

Robot Coupe Director of Sales Paul Easterbrook confirmed:

“The Citans have been very good, but the Vito offers the extra space that allows our chef demonstrators to carry more equipment.

“The second row of seats means we can take fewer vehicles to exhibitions and events, and is also useful when we go out and about with our distributors or customers. The automatic gearbox, meanwhile, makes life at the wheel so much easier for the guys if they’re in stop-start traffic all day.”

Mr Easterbrook says that the vans are expected to cover upwards of 40,000 miles a year across the UK, so comfort and safety — traditional strong points for the German marque — are top priorities.

Having specified crew cab variants, Robot Coupe expects to be able to use fewer vehicles when travelling to trade shows or transporting customers.

Sat nav screen while driving

Beginner’s guide to van hire: Additional drivers & optional extras

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What extras are available when you hire a van?

Do you have to pay extra for an additional driver?

These are questions we commonly here from first-time van hire customers. The answers are simple and usually the same as they would be for car hire.

Additional drivers

Van hire companies will normally allow you to add an additional driver to your rental agreement.

In general, this will cost extra. You will usually have to pay an extra fee for each day.

Some companies allow you to specify an additional driver when you make a booking online. Otherwise you can add an additional driver when you collect the vehicle.

Optional extras – e.g. sat nav

Sat nav screen while driving

A sat nav can be very useful if driving alone to an unfamiliar destination — especially if you’re driving a large van.

As with car hire, most van hire companies offer a range of optional extras. How much choice you have may depend on what type of company you are hiring from.

Large national companies which also offer car hire are more likely to have child seats, for example.

On the other hand, specialist van rental businesses may be more likely to offer useful extras such as trolleys, loading straps and protective blankets for furniture.

GPS sat nav units are often available to hire, usually for an extra cost per day. Other optional extras include additional insurance and breakdown cover, or upfront payment for a tank of fuel.

I hope this helps to answer some of your questions about van hire. If you’ve still got questions, check you can see all of our Beginner’s Guide to Van Hire series by clicking here.

Still got questions? Email us or get in touch on Twitter @vanrentaluk

Mercedes-Benz X-Class pickup

Mercedes-Benz X-Class pickup unveiled (pics)

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Mercedes-Benz X-Class pickup

The new Mercedes-Benz X-Class pickup

Until now, pickup buyers wanting a premium brand have had to ‘make do’ with a Volkswagen Amarok. But no more. Mercedes-Benz has launched its new X-Class pickup in Germany, with a full European launch (including the UK) scheduled for later this year.

The company is billing the X-Class as “the first pickup from a premium manufacturer”. It will initially be available with a four-cylinder diesel, giving a choice of 163 hp or 190 hp, plus a petrol engine “in some markets”. A top-of-the-range V6 diesel will be released in mid-2018, adding to the X-Class’s premium appeal.

Mercedes-Benz X-Class pickup dashboard

This classic Mercedes dashboard is streets ahead of most competitors in the style stakes

Buyers will be able to choose from three core trim levels:

  • PURE – the entry-level model for “classic robust use”. I assume that means as a work vehicle which may actually venture off road.
  • PROGRESSIVE – a higher quality feel and improved comfort – i.e. what the boss will drive
  • POWER – high-end variant for urban lifestyles. i.e. for posing and trips to Waitrose.

All models will initially be fitted with Merc’s engageable 4MATIC all-wheel drive system, with low-range gearing and optional differential lock on the rear axle. But from the middle of next year, serious off-road drivers will be able to specify a permanent all-wheel drive system instead.

Mercedes-Benz X-Class rear view

A clean and simple rear end.

As you’d expect, safety standards will be high. Features such as Active Brake Assist, Lane Keeping Assist and Traffic Sign Assist will all be on the spec list. Styling options will a styling bar, side bar, canopy, various covers as well as numerous cargo and off-road solutions developed and designed by Mercedes.

Finally, if you think the X-Class looks vaguely familiar, that’s probably because it is. It’s the result of a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Daimler, who in turn have a partnership with the Nissan-Renault alliance. Essentially, the X-Class is a reengineered Nissan NP300 Navara.

Sprint Motor Hire logo

Van hire in Birmingham: Sprint Motor Hire

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Sprint Motor Hire logo

I’m very pleased to welcome Sprint Motor Hire of Birmingham to vanrental.co.uk.

Sprint is based on Highgate Road in Birmingham, just to the south of the city centre.

The company has been established for more than ten years and offers a wide range of vans for hire, including refrigerated models:

  • Short, medium and long wheelbase panel vans
  • Luton box vans with tail lift
  • Fridge/freezer chilled vans (temperatures down to -20C)
  • Temperature-controlled vans (can maintain a pre-set temperature between +25C and -18C. These vans are ideal for pharmaceutical transport)

In addition to a standard daily rental service, Sprint Motor Hire also offers long-term hire for periods of one to six months, and contract hire for longer periods.

The company’s daily rental rates include VAT, damage protection and insurance costs and unlimited mileage. Renters can pay using credit or debit card.

For more information or a quote, contract Sprint Motor Hire directly:

  • Address: Sprint Motor Hire, Unit 3, Highgate business Centre, Highgate Road. Birmingham, B12 8EA
  • Telephone: 0121 772 3838
  • Email: sales@sprintmotorhire.co.uk
  • Web: www.sprintmotorhire.co.uk

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