Best small courier van
Update by Eamonn 29th Nov 2021
The best small courier van to assist in making the delivery of essential goods would help make that task easier. A van with a sliding side door would make the task easier. It makes it possible to retrieve the parcels while standing on the side of the road and not in it as you would have to if the van only had a door or hatch in the back for access. The Ford transit connect came out on top, but just marginally as their many other good options available.
The most popular courier van in the past few years in the UK has been the Ford Transit Connect. This van has 3 doors in the cargo area, with one on each side and split doors in the rear. This makes it easy to retrieve parcels and packages no matter how or where the van is parked.
Hire before you buy
If you can why not hire the model from your local van rental company fo a few days first. As you may be aware the rental company will make you liable for a large excess, but you cover this with van hire excess insurance.
Cargo area
The cargo area has a payload capacity of 982 kg with 3.6 m3 of space that can be used. The bulkhead behind the passenger seat can be removed to accommodate packages up to 3.4 m in length.
Fuel economy
The most common engine used by couriers is the 1.5 L EcoBlue diesel engine. It is connected to the front wheels by an 6 speed automatic transmission. The engine gets a combined fuel economy of 4.7 L per 100 km with 124 g/ km of CO2.
Safety options
This model also has the Auto Start-Stop option which turns the engine off while you are in a queue or idle for a while. This can save up to 10% in overall fuel consumption and costs.
Active park assist technology
To help a courier get into small spaces easily the Ford Transit Connect also has Active Park Assist technology. This option will do the parallel parking or pulling into a parking bay for the driver where they will not have to touch the steering wheel.
Pre-collision assist technology
There is also a pre-collision assist technology that will warn the driver of an obstacle in their path. This can be a pedestrian or another vehicle. If the driver does not respond to the warning, the brakes are automatically applied.
The areas of interest above are the baselines on which most people use to make a comparison for the best small courier van in the UK. The best one for you is dependent on your own needs, desire and loyalties to a particular vehicle brand. Other small vans that are comparable to this Ford product include the Volkswagen Caddy, Vauxhall Combo, Peugeot Partner, Citroen Berlingo, Nissan e-NV200 and the Renault Kangoo ZE. 33.
As with any delivery person using a van, courier van insurance will be required. This is a commercial vehicle type of insurance that can be Third Party Only, Third Party Fire or Theft or Full comprehensive. If you have more than one van then multi van fleet insurance would be a better option. For couriers under the age of 25 van insurance for young drivers can be helpful.
More than one van to insure?
If you are operating a small van courier business, it may be more cost effective to take a fleet van insurance policy. Multi van insurance policies are available for 2 or more vans and should work out cheaper than insuring each van separately.
Van Breakdown Cover
The most common add-on is van breakdown cover to help keep you operational even when there is a problem with your van.
By choosing the best small courier van and insurance for you will help to achieve the goal of maintaining a steady revenue stream so your business plan will be in the red.