The Complete Guide to Monthly Van Hire
Monthly van hire is one of the most flexible hire options available for businesses. For businesses that need a van for longer than a day but don’t want to commit to a year, a monthly contract is a great option.
After a month, the contract can be renewed on a rolling basis. Or you can choose a different vehicle and start a new monthly van hire contract. But what are the benefits for businesses and what vans should you consider? Let’s find out.
How monthly van hire works
You can get a hired van for anywhere from a few hours to years. On a monthly hire contract, you pay a monthly fee to have the van. A monthly hire is different to a lease. When you hire a vehicle, the hiring company covers all the maintenance costs, which is a big time saver.
Usually, you and the hiring company will agree on how much mileage the van will do. Going over that mileage is possible, but you will often face a small fee.
After your month is up, you return the van to the hiring company. If you still need a van, renew your contract and get the van again for another month. Or you could choose a new van to fit your needs.
The best vans for monthly hire
Every van type is available for monthly hire. Whether you want an electric van, the latest diesel van, or a practical Luton there’s something for your business. These are some of the top vans for every business every month.
Best car derived van: Peugeot Partner Professional
The Professional L1 van is a car derived van. This type of van is best for businesses that need the best of both worlds. A van that works as a car and a small van to carry tools or other small bits and bobs.
This van has two siblings (the Citroën Berlingo and the Vauxhall Combo Cargo). The trio are almost the same in every way, but the Peugeot has a better interior in our opinion. The van is available in two lengths: 4403mm or 4753mm. Most businesses will find that the L1 is more than enough.
The Peugeot is available as 1.2-litre petrol or 1.5-litre diesel van. We recommend the petrol if you are doing only urban journeys or don’t need high mileage. But really, either will get the job done.
- Best for: Businesses that want a car and van to carry tools or equipment
- Maximum load length: 1817mm or 2167mm
- Payload: varies between models, 650kg to 670kg standard
Best electric van: Mercedes-Benz eSprinter L2
The eSprinter is one of the most popular Mercedes-Benz electric vans because of its driving features and decent size. Buying the van will set you back around £50,000, so hiring this van is a great option to stay on budget.
Clean Air Zones such as the one around Birmingham are becoming more popular. If you need a van to get around a low emission area, getting an electric van is a good way to avoid extra emission fees. This might sound niche, but it’s a growing situation as the government pushes electric vehicles more.
Whether you’re looking for a sustainable van or just to avoid those charges, the eSprinter is a good pick. This van can handle a decent payload of over 730kg, so couriers and small businesses can carry around what they need.
- Best for: Businesses that want to keep emissions down
- Maximum load length: 3,272mm
- Payload: 731kg
Best large van: Ford Transit Luton
The Ford Transit is one of the most popular vans. A Luton van is a type of van that has an easy-to-use shutter on the back, so carrying and taking out heavy items is less of a hassle. This is the biggest van on our list too, so businesses who need that extra space will have a better time in this van than the others.
This van does have a lower price tag than the eSprinter and Peugeot Partner, so buying is a fairly popular choice for many businesses. But we recommend trying out monthly van hire so your business can still stay flexible. You are likely to lose money when you need to resell the van. Hiring can help you keep your costs down.
- Best for: Businesses that need to carry heavy loads
- Maximum load length: 2,038 to 3,211mm
- Payload: 731kg
Benefits of monthly hire
Hiring a van for a month has lots of benefits for every business. Your company can meet unexpected demand without any of the big cost of buying a van for starters. But there are even more reasons to sign that monthly van hire contract.
Choose a new van when your contract ends
Some long-term van hire contracts will lock you into having a van for months or even years at a time. There are some businesses that can make that work, but monthly hire is a lot better when you need to be flexible.
Once the month is up, switching up your vehicle is easy. You can upgrade your van to a premium model, choose a larger or smaller van, or get two vans instead. A monthly van hire contract helps your business keep options open.
Adapt to meet demand
What do you do when you need a van to keep up with your customers’ needs? Hiring a van helps to cover demand. That’s true for every hiring contract. The major benefit of a monthly hire is that your business has a van to meet demand and you can change up the contract quickly as it ends after a month.
Monthly van hires are a great choice for seasonal or short term work. In these situations, you know you only need the van for a short amount of time. And if you need the van for longer, you can always get another monthly contract.
Get a van without a big commitment
Some van hire companies will offer you 6 or 12 month contracts. If you only need the van for a short time or aren’t sure how long you need it, a monthly van hire agreement is better. This lets your business stay flexible if anything changes for the better or worse.
Have a van at a lower cost
Buying a van isn’t cheap! Some of the best vans for small businesses have a big price tag. And leasing a van often means you have to take care of the maintenance and upkeep appointments. Van hire can offer affordable prices than buying a van.
Especially when you only need the van for a month, buying a whole new van blows the budget. When hiring a van, you’ll be paying steady monthly fees to stay on budget.
Where can you get a monthly van hire?
Most van hire companies from the biggest in the UK to independent small providers offer monthly contracts. But not every provider offers the same vans or the same conditions.
To find the right van for the month, you’ll want to shop around to find the best deal. We compare the best vans on the market, so you can find the right hiring company. Use our quick quote tool and get in touch with your monthly van hire provider.