Sizing, honestly
Which van do I need?
The most expensive mistake in this whole category is booking a van that is slightly too small. Here is how to avoid it.
Everybody underestimates their own load. It is not carelessness — a room you live in every day stops looking like a quantity of objects and starts looking like a room.
So the short answer is: do not describe it, photograph it. Stand in the doorway, take a picture of each room, and send them. Thirty seconds of photographs tells us more than ten minutes of listing, and it is how you avoid paying for a second trip.
That said, here is roughly what each size takes.
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Small van
Car-derived or short-wheelbase
Good for: A few boxes, a bike, a chest of drawers, a small desk. The kind of load that would take three car journeys.
Not for: A double mattress, a wardrobe, or a sofa of any real size.
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Medium van
Long-wheelbase, no tail lift
Good for: A single room, a two-seat sofa, a bed frame and mattress, a Marketplace collection plus a few boxes.
Not for: A whole one-bedroom flat in one trip, or anything that needs lifting rather than carrying.
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Large van
Extra-long, high roof
Good for: A full room with furniture, a studio or small one-bed flat, a big sofa, an American fridge, several bulky items together.
Not for: A two-bedroom flat with a full kitchen — that is normally a Luton or two trips.
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Luton with tail lift
Box body, powered lift
Good for: One and two-bedroom flats, heavy single items, anything that cannot safely be lifted by hand into a load bed.
Not for: Streets with height restrictions, and most underground car parks.
Three things that change the answer
- Stairs. A load that fits a medium van but lives on the fourth floor with no lift takes far longer than the van size suggests. Time, not volume, is the constraint.
- Weight. Books, tools and gym equipment fill a van by weight long before they fill it by space. Tell us if the boxes are books.
- Where it has to park. A Luton will not get into most underground car parks, and some estates have height barriers. That can decide the vehicle regardless of the load.
Next step
Send us the photographs
A picture of each room, both addresses and the floor at each end. We will tell you which van and how long, and we will say if you do not need us at all.