The most popular vans in the UK

The van is essential to many small businesses, and these unsung workhorses help to keep the struggling UK economy afloat. Here we take a look at the 10 most popular vans in Britain.

The Ford Transit

The iconic transit was launched way back in 1965 and has become the van of choice for many small businesses. The Transit has been called 'The Backbone of Britain' and is known for its reliability, versatility and ease of driving. A new transit costs around £17,000 and used ones are much cheaper.
The Transit is undoubtedly the UK's number one van and is also a very popular hire vehicle. In fact, there is one company offering van hire in minibus hire walsall  that has a Transit with more than 200,000 on the clock that has only ever needed minor repairs.

The Transit Connect

The Transit's baby brother, the Connect combines the flexibility of a small van with the reliability of it's big bro. Priced at just £11,000, the Connect offers an impressive volume of 3.4 cubic metres.

The Mercedes Sprinter.

Another iconic symbol of the UK economy, the Sprinter matches the Transit for reliability but does it with much more style. It is also one of the safest vans on the market, but its new price of just over £20,000 is off-putting to some small companies.

The Peugeot 207

One of the best small vans around, the 207 is perfect for one-man operations and can be bought new for just £8,000. It can also deliver a very impressive 65 miles per gallon.

The Peugeot Bipper

Peugeot again, this time the slightly larger Bipper. A new Bipper will set you back around £8,500 and is offered with a huge range of options. It has a capacity of 2.8 cubic metres and a turning circle of around 10 metres, making it great in tight situations.

The Vauxhall Combo

The cheapest van in the list at around 8,000. This may be about the same as the 207, but the Combo has more space in the front and rear and is also very cheap to run.

The Renault Kangoo

Also very affordable to run, but more expensive at £9,500, the Kangoo boasts a 3 cubic metre load capacity, a higher standard spec and an economical diesel engine.

The VW Caddy

The Caddy comes in two forms. The smaller version has a capacity of 3.2 cubic metres while the long wheelbase version can hold 4.2 cubic metres. However, you do pay more for all that comes with the VW badge - the Caddy starts at £16,500.

The Renault Trafic

A Transit lookalike, the Trafic comes in a range of styles and capacities. However, for £19,400 you would want it to match the reliability of the Transit, which, unfortunately, it fails to do.

The Citroen Berlingo

This nippy little van sits somewhere between small vans and Transit-sized workhorses. It is available with a capacity of 3.3 or 4.1 cubic metres and is available from £10,625. It may have a silly name, then again so does the Kangoo, but the Berlingo can deliver over 60 miles per gallon.

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Thinking of hiring a minibus? What's the legal situation?

Hiring a minibus for an outing is a great idea in theory, but there are some legal issues you should be aware of. Here is our complete guide to the legal side of minibus hire.


Are you allowed to drive a minibus?
This depends on how you intend to use the vehicle. If you intend to charge for its use you will need to apply for a permit or licence before you can legally drive the minibus (see below for more information). If you don't intend to charge for the use of the vehicle, not even for the running costs, then you can probably drive a minibus legally.
There are a few boxes that must be ticked:
    you just be 21 or older
    the vehicle must have 16 or less passenger seats
    you must have had your driving licence for two or more years
    if you are aged over 70 you must meet certain medical conditions known as 'Group 2' standards
    the minibus should weigh less that 3.5 tonnes - unless it comes with appartus to help disabled passengers on and off the vehicle, in which case it may weigh up to 4.25 tonnes
    it is forbidden to tow a trailer behind a minibus.
So, as long as you aren't charging for the use of the minibus, or receiving payment, most people would qualify to drive a minibus without a permit or licence.

Running costs
If you plan to charge your passengers, or any organisation, for the running costs (hire costs, fuel etc) of the minibus then you will need to get yourself a permit.
To qualify for a minibus permit there are some extra conditions to the ones above:
    the costs charged must be equal to, or less then, the actual running costs of the vehicle – you are not allowed to make any profit
    the organisation for which the bus is being used must be run by volunteers and must be of benefit to the community
    only members of that organisation may use the vehicle, the general public must not be allowed access to it.
The penalty for driving a minibus without a permit, when a permit is required, is a hefty fine and points on your licence. There have been prosecutions as well, a minibus hire cannock firm was recently hit with a fine for failing to apply for a permit for one of its drivers.

Making a profit from a minibus
If you intend to profit from driving the minibus you need to invest in a Passenger Carrying Vehicle licence or PCV. To get your PCV you need to be certified as medically fit and pass a theory and practical test.
So, in summary, if you are hiring a minibus for private use, or you are not intending to charge even running costs, you can drive one without a permit. If you want a charity organisation to cover the running costs, you can apply for a permit for free. If you want to profit, you need a licence, but this is relatively expensive and involved, so is not really worth doing for a one off minibus rental.

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