Low Cost Vans

The Toyota Proace medium-duty van has made headlines this week, as it has secured its first big fleet contract. In a recent press release, Toyota announced that Toyota Material Handling UK , which provides national sales and servicing for Toyota forklift trucks and warehouse equipment, had taken out an initial contract for 116 vans to be used by engineers for the company’s national servicing, installation and repair operations. Toyota’s new medium panel van replaced the Hiace van this spring and is essentially a rebadged version of the Citroen Dispatch and Peugeot Expert. Proace is available in two lengths and heights, giving load capacities of 5m 3 , 6m 3 or 7m 3 and can carry up to 1,200kg and tow up to two tonnes. It is also available with a range of Euro 5-compliant diesel engines, with the 89bhp 1.6-litre engine producing 180Nm of torque and is matched to a five-speed manual transmission. Two 2.0-litre diesel units are offered, with outputs of 126 and 161bhp and peak torque figu...

We'd like to wish a very Happy Birthday to Zoe, our lovely Sales Admin, who turned 21 years old today. Enjoy your birthday plans and Thank You for being such a fantastic member of the Low Cost Vans team!  

  We have some fabulous news to share with all of you. Just this week  Low Cost Vans was honoured with the “Best Small Fleet Van Leasing Award” win in the inaugural award category run by Business Car Manager , the expert web motoring magazine serving the SME sector with information on business vehicles. The awards were judged by a distinguished panel from the SME car and van finance field and presented to best of the best in each category. *The Small Fleet Leasing Awards, organised by Business Car Manager, have been supported by MAGMA Automotive, Network (a division of LeasePlan) and Volvo Car UK.   Rod Lloyd, managing director of Low Cost Vans, said: “ we are thrilled to have won this prestigious national award. It is recognition of our commitment to offering premium quality service to customers, our nationwide vehicle supply network, along with an unrivalled choice of vans with competitive contract hire and leasing quotations. With funding sources and lending from banks sti...

Finally some good news for van owners needing to take their vans into the garage, as according to Warranty Direct , garages are charging an average of £8.16 an hour less than last year to carry out service or repair work. The results of Warranty Direct’s annual Labour Rates Survey were recently published and showed the average hourly labour rate in 2013 was down 9.84% to £74.70 compared to last year (£ 82.86 in 2012) for both franchised and non-franchised workshops. Warranty Direct says competition from fast fits, aggressive manufacturer loyalty programmes and motorists willing to shop around for the best deals, are just some of the reasons for the falling prices. The survey included 67 counties and it was no surprise to see that London is still the most expensive place (per hourly rate) to get your van fixed. The least expensive place was Angus in Scotland. Duncan McClure Fisher, Managing Director at Warranty Direct, said: “From this year’s results, it appears, for the first time, th...

When defining or deciding if something is “cool”, it may be described as fashionable, sophisticated, popular, and never go out of style. Can an auto maker really be considered cool? I pondered this after reading the latest results of the annual CoolBrands® list. I was curious, in terms of the “coolest” van/vehicle maker, who would get your vote? Would it be Ford with the Transit Custom, Fiat for the Fiorino, or perhaps Renault with the Kangoo ZE? I know who my favourites are, but having just read about who came out on top amongst the full line auto brands on this year’s annual CoolBrands® list, I just may have to reconsider if what I am currently driving is "cool". In the latest press release from the manufacturer voted as one of the top coolest brands, Mercedes-Benz has expressed their delight in coming in five places above their debut on last year’s CoolBrands®  list. With the already popular Sprinter, Vito, and Citan van ranges plus a host of new car models offered this...

This week, figures published from the new BCA Used Car Market Report (September 2013) have shown that used car sales have returned to pre-recession levels. Professor Peter Cooke of the Centre for Automotive Management, University of Buckingham Business School, who authored the report, has said “ lower inflation, lower fuel costs, rising employment and a more stable economy helped restore car buyers' confidence somewhat in 2012 .” It also showed that dealers are coming out on top of the used car sales market, reaping 57.2% in terms of sales and representing 74.4% of the total market value. The stock shortage of used cars aged less than two years old has led way for vehicles aged from six years to well over nine years old to sell well over the last few years and with wider selections available on their forecourts, dealerships are dominating the market. The BCA’s press release detailing the results of the latest used car report also included some interesting figures related to the nu...

Do you spend hours maintaining and tinkering on your van in your home garage, is it a spot to do a bit of DIY, or is it simply your refuge from the noise and chaos of family life on weekends? According to the latest post from automotive retailer, Halfords , men kind in the UK are now in danger of losing these once sacred “man caves”. They have reported the findings from a Onepoll survey of 1278 homeowners during August 2013, that shows a third of men are now losing these favourite workshop spaces in what estate agents are calling ‘garage grabbing’. The survey shows that more and more homeowners have converted the garage into additional living spaces or are only using them as storage rooms and not the traditional placement of the family car or work van. Dave Poulter, Head of Trading at Halfords, said: “It’s a sad fact that less than a third of drivers are now able to store or work on their car in the garage ─ the vast majority of which (60%) have been commandeered for extra storage to ...

Vans and their contents are high on the list of and rich pickings for thieves. On average, the monetary value of tools, equipment, and other necessary items that most businesses have inside their vans can be about or well exceed £1,500. Should the worst happen and your van is broken into or stolen altogether, it could cause a huge financial strain on your business. It can also cause emotional stress and take up valuable time for the police when trying to locate the van if it was stolen. There are several security measures and tools available out there that can help reduce the risk of becoming a target for thieves. I wanted to share a recent press release I read from TRACKER , the stolen vehicle recovery ( SVR ) specialist, about how their range of SVR products played a key role in helping police locate and return a stolen van belonging to Mark Keel, of KD Doors in Lanarkshire. The van was stolen from one of his engineers who had been out on a job, but because his fleet of vans had been...

It really does now feel as though summer is well and truly gone. The cold wet autumn has rolled in and once again we are we being advised about treacherous driving conditions on our roads. The weather report says to expect gales/showers this weekend, which means we should drive our vans accordingly, slow down, and remember that it takes longer to stop or adjust in wet weather. The IAM have recently published their weekly motoring tips on driving in the wetter and cooler weather of autumn. As always, the information from the road safety charity offers good advice and I thought it would be beneficial to share it in light of the change in weather. See the IAM’s post below, written by Britain’s top advanced driver, Peter Rodger. “ Slip ‘N’ Slide ‘N’ Collide “ As it gets further into autumn and the temperature drops, clear your windscreens of condensation or ice before setting off. Always give yourself extra time to ensure you can see though your windows clearly before starting your jour...

Another big debut having already made its way to the IAA Frankfurt show this year is the new compact SUV concept model, the iV-4 from Suzuki. The “i” stands for “individuality”, “V” for “vehicle”, and “4”is for “4 wheel-drive”. This model, set to take on the Nissan Juke, Renault Captur and others in this segment, will soon join the Suzuki SUV line-up which began with the LJ series in 1970 and has since expanded with the Vitara in 1988, Jimny in 1998, and Grand Vitara in 2005. The latest press release from Suzuki defines the concept for the iV-4 with the slogan/theme, "Grab your field", which refers to its powerful, tough and rugged SUV ability and in so, empowering whomever is behind the wheel. It will also be light weight and boast one of the lowest CO2 ratings in its class. The iV-4 is said to be an “SUV for the present day”, as it has been designed to be personalised to fit customer’s lifestyles by way of exterior parts, colour, texture, etc. The compact dimensions are: ...

Just announced today, the All-new Ford Transit Connect has won the “International Van of the Year 2014” award, presented at the COMTRANS commercial vehicle exhibition in Moscow. This win now means that Ford is the first single manufacturer to win the award for two consecutive years. This accolade adds to the previous “international van of the year” wins for Ford, making it a record-equalling achievement. The new Transit Connect recently joined Ford’s successful Transit range, which includes the Transit Custom and the forthcoming two-tonne Transit and Transit Courier models to be launched in 2014. The Judging panel, which consisted of 24 journalists, awarded the Transit Connect 130 points out of a maximum possible 163; ahead of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Renault Kangoo; praises fuel economy, design, driveability, load-carrying and safety. “The all-new Transit Connect impressed the jury on a number of fronts, and above all by the fact Ford has succeeded in building a light van wit...

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has recently released new details for the VW Caddy. It will now be available in a number of different versions; such as a passenger carrier or panel van , and different engine options. The exciting news coming from Volkswagen’s latest press release is that the Caddy will soon be welcoming a new fuel-efficient version to the range: the new Caddy BlueMotion is the most fuel-efficient Caddy ever with a low fuel consumption of 4.5 litres per 100 km (62.8 mpg). This show stopping version will be available with a short wheelbase and come in four equipment versions such as a panel van and kombi; as well as in passenger-carrying versions too. What can we expect when the new Caddy comes onto the market? Volkswagen say, “ At the heart of the new Caddy BlueMotion is the familiar 1.6-litre TDI with common rail direct injection and 75 kW / 102 PS which has a maximum torque of 250 Newton metres .” How does that compare to the old Caddy? With new BlueMotion Technology...

In a recent press release, leading vehicle tracking and telematics company, Tracker , is urging businesses to assess their vans to ensure they are running a safe fleet, especially those running vans that are older than three years on. The advice comes in light of the Freight Transport Association’s ( FTA ) data from a March 2013 report that showed nearly half of all vans on the roads that are over three years old are no longer roadworthy. The auto market has seen many businesses and individuals keep possession of their vehicles for much longer periods in recent years and Tracker says, “ The FTA’s figures highlight the fact that businesses are holding onto vans for longer, rather than investing in a new fleet,” explains Stephen Doran, Managing Director of TRACKER. “But with 50% of vans over three years being old unfit to be on the road, some van owners may not be maintaining their fleet adequately. At a time when businesses are focusing on reducing costs, the last thing they need is for...

It could just be that it is nearing lunchtime, but I was searching through MSN ’s latest car news and found a post about snack vans. I love my food as much as I adore vans, so I thought it would be fun on this Weds hump day to share the post with all of you. Mobile catering vans have been around for many years offering us an array of yummy, greasy and, as some would argue, unhealthy food. Some of us (yes, I mean me) even frequent our favourite van on a daily or weekly basis. There’s just something about the smell and taste of a good greasy burger served from one of these vans that keeps us coming back for more. I usually get a craving at least once a week for a cheap yet sinfully delicious breakfast bap from my local catering van (its unique selling point, until recently, was that it was painted like and was in the shape of a Coke can). You couldn’t miss that. Now, back to the article on MSN titled, “ The UK’s roadside snack vans in pictures ” written by Ian Dickson, senior editor, MSN...

I’ve read a disturbing article in the Daily Mail this week about the proposed EU mandate for all cars in the EU to be fitted with speed limiters. The plans call for a device to be implanted into your vehicle that automatically and involuntary applies the brakes if you drive over the speed limit. The article explains that cameras will also be installed that will read road signs and speed limits for you, thus controlling your vehicle accordingly. If that’s the case, then I can see driver’s questioning why they should bother learning the rules of the road for themselves. Why not let the car or van think and drive entirely for you? Does this mean we are another step closer to fully autonomous vehicles? The technology is called, ‘Intelligent Speed Adaptation’ technology (ISA) and according to the Daily Mail article, will work by either satellites, which communicate limits automatically to cars from databases, or by using cameras to read road signs. If this goes through, it is said that new...

I hate be the bearer of sad news, but summer is nearly over. Many kids and students have been dreading the month of September. It means saying goodbye to staying up late and spending all day enthralled in the latest video game, as school resumes in a few days’ time. The hustle and bustle of getting children up and ready early in the mornings can soon be heard from many a home today (annoyingly for me it means the 6am clamour from my neighbours with kids will grow ever louder), plus the return of parental routine of the school run resumes and for those of us who live near to a school, this will soon give us a legitimate excuse as to why we are late to work. Just in time for the start of this sacred tradition where a multitude of parents happily shuffle their little angels to and from the school gates; driving the latest SUV, minivan, or a range of anything family sized, the road safety charity IAM is offering their weekly motoring tips on this very topic. Britain’s top advanced driver,...