Low Cost Vans

Another award winning van to congratulate this month is the 100% electric Kangoo Van Z.E . With sales of over 11,000 so far, it is Europe’s best-selling small electric van and winner of the title GreenFleet Awards ‘Electric Vehicle of the Year’ again this year. GreenFleet’s annual awards took place on 17th October at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium. As of June this year, the newly restyled zero-emission light commercial “working man's van”, features Renault’s styling identity. Part of the restyle consists of a refreshed and enhanced dashboard; and now owners can programme the battery to charge remotely to benefit from off-peak electricity rates using their computer or smartphone by way of the ‘My Z.E. inter@ctive’ pack. GreenFleet’s Colin Boyton, one of the judges, said: “ As well as winning last year’s Electric Vehicle of the Year award from GreenFleet, it scooped ‘Ecovan of the Year’ and ‘International Van of the Year’ accolades.  It is more than a worthy winner again. ” It’s plain to...

For those interested, the latest Euro NCAP safety ratings results have been announced. Euro NCAP organizes crash-tests and provides motoring consumers with a realistic and independent assessment of the safety performance of some of the most popular cars sold in Europe.  “The overall safety rating is composed of scores in four areas: adult protection, child protection, pedestrian protection and safety assist. The overall score is calculated by weighing the four scores with respect to each other, while making sure that not one area is underachieving.” There were four vehicles being rated this go: the Small Off-Road Jeep Cherokee, the Supermini Peugeot 2008 and the Small Families Mercedes-Benz CLA and Suzuki SX4. It was good news for the fab four on test in this round, as they all achieved the coveted five star overall rating. I was keen to read more on the results for the Jeep Cherokee, Jeep’s top selling model. I’ve been interested in the new make/model since it made its world debut a...

If you happen to own/drive a van for your business and are looking for the best way to advertise what you have to offer potential customers, have you considered using your van fleet to help build your brand? If done right, a well presented and professionally signed vehicle is a very effective and cheap way to achieve this. Whether you are a fleet manager looking for van graphics for a fleet of vehicles or an individual looking for a better way to get noticed, sign writing your van is a cost-effective way of promoting your business. It can be an easy way of creating what is essentially your very own mobile billboard. So, how much will sign writing your van set you back, what are the options, and is it right for your business? I found a great feature article on this very subject recently on Business Vans, the website for van users, small businesses, trades, and SME fleet van operators. The informative van advice walks you through the different options available, goes through the pros and...

I’m looking forward to the weekend. It’s that time of the year again when clock’s go back one hour and give us all a much needed extra lie in. That bliss is short lived though, as I can guarantee my body clock will adjust rather quickly and an hour just never seems like quite enough. But, with autumn festivities like Halloween and Bonfire Night fast approaching, the darker colder nights bring their own highs and lows, especially when it comes to driving. It’s Friday and along with the extra snooze time the weekend brings, so too is it time for me to share the IAM ’s weekly motoring advice.  No prizes for guessing what this week’s topic is about. Yes, the road safety charity the IAM’s tips from Britain’s top advanced driver Peter Rodger, is advice on driving (not dancing, but you can if you want to) in the dark. See his expert tips below:  Darkness Descends To improve your view as far as possible, keep your lights and windscreen clean. It’s easy to forget the inside of the windows, bu...

Great news announced from Fiat on the awards front. FIAT Professional has been named “LCV Manufacturer of the Year” at the 2013 GreenFleet Awards. The award, which recognises the efforts made by manufacturers in reducing CO2 emissions and improving fuel economy in the Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) sector, was presented to FIAT Professional for a second year in a row. Let’s take a look at what features swayed the judges into honouring the van manufacturer with the second prestigious win. Firstly, the current range of commercial vehicles is engineered with a range of efficiency technologies such as Start&Stop - temporarily shuts the engine down when the vehicle is stationary, and optional Traction+, which offers improved traction in slippery conditions without the need for 4X4 hardware. Along with these, other technologies such as the eco:Drive Professional* and eco:Drive Fleet* software take Fiat efficiencies further by encouraging drivers to obtain the best possible fuel efficien...

A new “go-anywhere” car has freshly embarked onto the market today, as Subaru announced the launch of the Subaru XV Black, a new limited edition variant of their popular compact crossover. The visual changes look quite sleek, rugged and stylish from the photos in the recent press release. Its Crystal Black Silica paint finish gives it more unique upmarket appeal.  But what else has Subaru included in this special limited run model? Firstly, the ‘XV Black’ models will be available with a choice of either Subaru’s 2.0-litre Boxer diesel engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission, or the 2.0-litre Boxer petrol unit and a Lineartronic automatic transmission. Other features include front, rear and side silver-resin underguards, front and rear mudflaps, a cargo step panel and a foldable cargo tray. Inside, the Black model is fitted with heavy-duty rubber floor mats and the All-Wheel-Drive XV Black is priced at £24,495 (on-the-road) for the 2.0i Lineartronic and £24,995 for the 2.0 Boxer...

According to an article on Fleet World 's website recently, ‘Perk’ fleet drivers – those who receive a company car as part of their benefits package, are racking up far higher accident costs than their commercial vehicle counterparts. The stats come from new research from LeasePlan; the UK division of the world’s largest leasing company. The antiquated stereotype of the white van man (ahem, we should say van person, as women have and do drive vans too) is once again shown to be well and truly a thing of the past. Another notch for van drivers in the findings were that similar lower costs were incurred for out-of-contract maintenance costs too. Although the average per head in accident costs each year was lower for fleet commercial vehicle drivers, they haven’t been behaving as well in terms of traffic violations and fines, as the results showed them to be the more costly culprits in this area. The article also provides the figures and costs to companies associated with the LeasePla...

One of the big six energy companies has announced that they have chosen the Ford Transit Custom as the van of choice for their nation-wide meter fitting fleet. E.ON took an order for 118 of these popular vans to add to their vast existing fleet, which coincidentally already consists of a large number of Ford badged vehicles. The Ford vans being supplied to E.ON are all 310 short wheelbase models equipped with the Dagenham-built 100PS 2.2 TDCi power unit. Before joining the fleet they will be converted by Qi Van Systems and will include the fitment of special racking in the load area, Trakm8 telematics and an AVI alarm system. Stephen Gafson, Ford Direct sales manager, said: “ Ford has enjoyed a long and mutually successful business relationship with E.ON and I’m delighted to see them place a large order for the multi-award-winning Transit Custom. The new van is already well on the way to establishing its own market niche, and will be key to the continued success of the Transit range ....

Fleet World has released the results of the 2013 ALD Automotive / Shell FuelSave MPG Marathon which took place on October 9th and 10th near Sheffield. This year’s event, now in its thirteenth year, had 46 competitors all aiming to demonstrate eco-driving skills and achieve the best outright MPG by improving on the official fuel consumption figures issued for their vehicle. For those not familiar with the event, “ the MPG Marathon, organised by Fleet World, is the UK’s longest-running and best-known economy driving event. Featuring a wide range of cars and vans, the MPG Marathon is a demonstration of how both the vehicle itself, and the person behind the wheel, can make a massive difference to an organisation’s fuel costs and carbon emissions.” The big winner of the “percentage improvement” award for cars went to the Peugeot 208 GTi, driven by John Kendall and Paul Nieuwenhuis. These veteran marathon drivers managed to clock up 59.39mpg, which was a respectable 23.99% increase over t...

It’s staying dark longer now in the mornings. When the alarm rings aloud at 6am, wakes me from my slumber, I look out the window and sigh deeply at the thought of another work day ahead.  It’s colder now too, so I pray that the heating in my old car (I failed to find a new one last week) works its warming magic for the drive in to work. The commute isn’t too far, but as cold as it has been, I wish there were no dress codes on the days I go into the office and that I can simply declare my dressing gown as this month’s new business “vogue” attire. Hey, I’ve seen worse. Mine’s not so much girly as it is warm, fluffy, and a tad bit fashionable if I do say so myself. Ahem, speaking of commutes, I read the latest motoring advice from the road safety charity  IAM this week and the latest safety advice is a good one to share.  As it’s the beginning of a long work week, the morning rush will bring many delivery vans and van fleets dispatched upon the city roads; along with parents doing the sc...

The BCA have released data from their latest Pulse report . There was more fantastic news for the LCV market, as values for light commercial vehicles reached record levels in September, despite the continued shortage of quality used van stock on the market. According to the BCA report, average values for vans rose 2.8% to £5,158, an increase of £145 compared to the previous August record, thanks in part to the fleet & lease and dealer part-exchange sectors. Values in the fleet & lease LCV sector improved by £194 (3.1%) in September to a new record value of £6,408. However, nearly-new LCV values fell in September by £1,767 to £12,694.   Year-on-year table: All vans All vans Avg Age (mnths) Avg Mileage Avg Value Sale vs CAP Sept 2012   57.93 78,805 £4,224 100.72% Sept 2013   59.33 80,217 £5,158 105.19% *Data table from the BCA Pulse Report     Duncan Ward BCA’s General Manager – Commercial Vehicles commented , “BCA saw exceptional levels of demand for light commerc...

Leading the way to the futuristic autonomous vehicles we once only dreamed of, Ford has just revealed it has begun testing automotive prototypes with innovative Fully Assisted Parking and Obstacle Avoidance technologies. Ford’s Research and Advanced Engineering division has been working hard to produce a Ford Focus that includes existing Ford technologies such as, Active Park Assist and Ford PowerShift transmission, with the new next-generation push-button parking technology – the Fully Assisted Parking Aid . It will operate steering, gear selection and forward and reverse motion. Ford has cleverly produced a YouTube video demonstrating how this new aid works and like a life sized R/C model car, it can even be operated from outside the car by remote control. You can view it by clicking here . Now, if parking made effortlessly by a touch of a button wasn’t enough, Ford also went and devised Obstacle Avoidance , which issues warnings if it detects slow-moving objects, stationary obsta...

Another notable van fleet contract deal was announced this week. Nissan has agreed a four-year deal to provide seven NV200 commercial vehicles to tyre company, Bridgestone. The world’s largest tyre company will certainly be glad of these vans, as they themselves had just won a  large contract with Ulsterbus, the Northern Irish public transport operator. The vans will be driven by Bridgestone tyre technicians carrying out tyre inspections and fittings. The contracted NV200’s are fitted with ply lining and will cover 20,000 miles each year. The drivers have already praised the van for its spacious load capacity and driver comfort over long distances. Barry Beeston, Nissan corporate sales director said: “These vans will be covering a lot of miles across Northern Ireland making the NV200 the ideal van for any business requiring comfortable and reliable transport. We now look forward to supporting Bridgestone over the years to come as their contract business continues to grow.” As a light...

September turned out to be a fantastic month for commercial vehicle registrations.  According to the latest data from the SMMT , the CV sector rose by 12.4% in registrations in the month and the overall commercial vehicle market is up 8.1% for the year-to-date, at 239,356 units. Van registrations also had a significant rise of 10.3%, with 43,066 new 63-plate registrations and providing a rise of 9.6% over the year so far with 205,004 registrations.  Finally there was some good news for Trucks, as demand grew 29.7% in the month with 6,131 registrations; year-to-date recovery is on course, now stable, down just 0.1% on 2012 at 34,352 units. The SMMT says that this now puts trucks back to 2012 levels after a slow start to the year.   UK van and truck registrations: 2013 and % change on 2012 September % change Year-to-date % change Rolling   year % change Vans 43,066 10.3% 205,004 9.6% 257,578 4.1% Trucks 6,131 29.7% 34,352 -0.1% 45,683 -4.2% Total 49,197 12.4% 239,356 8.1% 303,261 2.7...

The weekend sure rolled around quickly this week and it couldn’t come soon enough for me. I am excited to be looking for a quality second hand car this weekend. I will have a male friend helping me navigate the minefield that can sometimes blight the used car buying experience. I know a good deal about what I am looking at and looking for, but a second opinion from a mate who knows all about the mechanics of autos will be a lifesaver. The first step is to remember to do your homework before investing in a new van or car, so I began to refresh my knowledge by researching a bit more about what to look out for when choosing the right used car. I was pleased to read the latest motoring tips from driver training specialist IAM Drive & Survive this week.  Head of training, Simon Elstow, is advising on just the topic I need; buying a used car. I will be taking his advice on board and thought I would be a good idea to share it with you too.  Please see the handy tips from specialist IAM D...

Low Cost Vans was mentioned in the South Wales Evening Post recently. The article features a quote from our managing director, Rod Lloyd. I’ve re posted the article below, written by RICHARD YOULE, just in case you may have missed it.   Students earn praise after a summer of successful input EMPLOYERS have praised talented Swansea students for their valuable input this summer. Several said the Swansea University undergraduates they took on completed useful projects that they simply hadn't had time to do. More than 50 second year students were found placements as part of the university's Spin (Swansea Paid Internship Network) scheme, which was supported by the South Wales Evening Post. Rod Lloyd, director of Low Cost Vans , Neath, said intern Julian Wojtowicz focused on developing social media and budget analysis. "The business has benefited with a highly intelligent and thoughtful student able to complete a project in the time allocated that added true value to ongoing mar...

Ford has announced that orders are now open for the latest version of their award-winning Transit Custom van. The Transit Custom high-roof, available for delivery later this year, will offer 20% greater load volume than the equivalent low-roof model. If the new high-roof Transit Custom van with 370mm greater load height is for you, it will only set you back an additional cost of just £500 (basic recommended retail price, excl vat). Another unique feature of this smart van is the all-steel roof, giving the van more durability than a composite roof construction, allowing a roof rack load of up to 100kg. It will also be available in two wheelbases and range of weight and powertrain options.   Features of the new vans innovative load space include: Load-through hatch in bulkhead enabling loads up to 3.0m in length, such as pipes or ladders, to be safely carried inside the vehicle (up to 3.4m in long wheelbase model) Repositioned DIN and ISO compliant tie-down hooks located on the...