After years of driving you and your tools thousands of miles, your old reliable van may be on its way out. Maybe keeping it on the road is costing you a lot of money, not only in repairs and maintenance but in downtime - after all, if you can't get to the job, you can't earn. Or maybe as your business grows, your requirements are changing and your trusty workhorse just doesn't make the cut anymore. No matter what the reasoning behind it, if you are considering leasing a new van you need to make sure that it meets your needs as best as possible.
Access
If you work in tight spaces and need to be able to get in and out of parking spaces with as little hassle as possible, you may need certain options on your van such as parking aids or folding mirrors. If you load and unload at roadside, consider having loading doors on each side of the van fitted to make sure that you will never have to stand in the road. If you don't want to fork out the extra cost of twin side loading doors, consider a van which features them as standard, such as the Citroen Dispatch Enterprise or the Peugeot Expert Professional.
Efficiency
A driver who carries plasterboard and tools locally around the city centre will obviously have different requirements to a driver who carries crates of drinks up and down the country. For those who cover a higher mileage, it may well be worth considering a more efficient engine to save in fuel costs. For example, the Vauxhall Vivaro Sportive comes with two engine choices, either the standard option (43.5 MPG) or the BiTurbo ecoFLEX (47.9MPG)*. Although the latter tends to cost slightly more to lease, for those covering more ground the fuel savings may outweigh these costs.
Cargo
It's important to remember that the van you choose will be the van you drive for the next few years. Typically, the most popular leasing term is thirty six months so you need to be sure that your van will remain suitable throughout this time. If your business is expanding, consider the possibility that in a years time you will need to carry bigger equipment or more weight and plan accordingly. Leasing a van that won't do the job properly because it's cheaper will do you no favours in the long run.
Last but not least, test drive! You are going to be investing money and time into finding your perfect van lease, so whatever you do, make sure you like the van. There's nothing worse than having a vehicle turn up that is completely different to what you are expecting and then being stuck with it.
These pointers only dent the surface of the considerations you need to make - that's why our expert team of commercial vehicle specialists will happily talk over your options with you if you are unsure, or simply need a bit of guidance. If you'd like to have a friendly chat about the best vehicles for you, simply call 01424 863 456
*MPG figures based on the Vauxhall Vivaro L1 Diesel 2700 1.6CDTi 115ps Sportive H1 van and Vauxhall Vivaro L1 Diesel 2700 1.6CDTi BiTurbo 120ps ecoFLEX Sportive H1 van.