Help Me Choose a Moving Van
Picking a van can be a tricky task. You wouldn’t want to squeeze your belongings into a van that is too small, nor would you want to waste money hiring an excessively large one. Our guide will help you decide on the right choice for your move.
Choose Your Size
Van Types and Load Specifications
Understanding the different types of moving vans is crucial for making an informed choice.
Ideal for moving:
Contents of Studio flat or a small office. Its extended length provides ample room for small furniture, boxes, and household items, ensuring a more efficient and streamlined moving process.
Moving features:
- Transit Blankets
- ULEZ Included
- Trolley and Skate
- Side and Back doors
- Professional Team
The Transit van is an essential vehicle for those planning a move, offering spacious cargo capacity. Perfect for both personal and commercial relocations, the Transit van combines durability with practicality, making it a go-to choice for ensuring your belongings are safely and securely transported to your new location.
Whether you’re moving across town or preparing for a significant office relocation, the Transit van is designed to accommodate a wide range of moving needs.The go-to van for your local man and van!
Ideal for moving:
Contents of a one-two bedroom flat, providing ample space for furniture and personal items with its large box-shaped rear. Its spacious design and tail lift make it perfect for efficiently handling commercial and residential moves.
Moving features:
- Transit Blankets
- ULEZ Included
- Trolley and Skate
- Tail-Lift
- Professional Team
The Luton van stands out as the ideal choice for efficiently moving 1-2 bedroom flats, combining a spacious, box-shaped rear cargo area with a helpful tail-lift for easy loading of bulky items. Its design maximises storage, enabling the transport of large furniture and boxes in a single journey.
This van’s user-friendly nature and suitability for driving on a standard license make it a cost-effective, reliable option for both DIY movers and professional services, ensuring a smooth, stress-free relocation experience.
Ideal for moving:
The Maximover low-loader is ideal for those moving from 2-bedroom houses. Offering a custom-built body with extra height and length, surpassing traditional Luton vans in space and efficiency and ease for transporting bulky items efficiently.
Moving features:
- Transit Blankets
- ULEZ Included
- Trolley and Skate
- Low Loader with Ramp
- Professional Team
The Maximover low-loader stands out for 2-bedroom house moves, offering a custom-built body with extra height and length, surpassing traditional Luton vans in space and efficiency.
Its design simplifies loading bulky items and maximizes interior capacity, ensuring a streamlined, hassle-free move. Ideal for both domestic and commercial moves, the Maximover combines superior space, ease of use, and reliability, making it the top choice for efficient and stress-free relocations.
Ideal for moving:
Efficiently moving 3-4 bedroom houses, and small to medium business. Provides ample space and ease of loading for large-scale relocations. Equipped with tail-lift and ramp.
Moving features:
- Transit Blankets
- Trollies and Skates
- Ramp and Tail-Lift
- Huge Moving Capacity
- Professional Team
The Luton lorry offering a spacious cargo area with a tail lift for easy loading of bulky items, enhancing moving efficiency. This is the go-to moving vehicle for 3-4 bedroom house moves, and medium office relocations.
Perfect for larger scale relocations compared to the other vans, it provides ample space for all household belongings, ensuring a smooth and streamlined process for families and professional movers alike, reducing trips and maximising security.
Choose Your Size
Van Comparison Table
We hope that this information helps you narrow down the right van for your move. Please note, this information may only be used as a guide to help you choose the right van, as the dimensions of boxes and furniture may vary in size. If you are still unsure or if you have any further questions please feel free to contact our experienced team and we would be happy to help you choose the right van for your move.
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transit Van | Luton Van | Maximover | Luton Lorry | |
| Size of home it can move | Studio Flat | 1-2 Bedroom flat | 2 Bedroom flat/house | 3-4 Bedroom house |
| Max cargo height | 1.8 m | 2 m | 2.7 m | 2.5 m |
| Max cargo width | 1.6 m | 2.1 m | 2.1 m | 2.3 m |
| Max cargo length | 2.8 m | 4 m | 4.5 m | 5.9 m |
| Overall cargo volume |
300 ft3
300 m3
Convert to m3
|
600 ft3
600 m3
Convert to m3
|
900 ft3
900 m3
Convert to m3
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1200 ft3
1200 m3
Convert to m3
|
| Amount of large boxes it can take | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 |
| Removal blankets/straps | ||||
| Trolleys/skate | ||||
| Tail-lift | ||||
| Ramp | ||||
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Do it Better
Packing Tips and Maximising Space
Effective packing strategies are essential in maximising the space within your chosen moving van. It’s about understanding the art of arrangement and the science of space utilisation.
Start by categorising your belongings by size and fragility. Use uniform box sizes for easy stacking and fill any gaps with soft items like bedding or towels. Heavy items should be loaded first, towards the bottom, to maintain balance.
Disassemble larger furniture where possible, and use vacuum bags for compressible items. Remember, the way you pack can significantly impact how much you can transport, reducing the number of trips and overall moving time.
The expert packing team at Happy2Move will take care of this for you, although it certainly doesn’t hurt to know!
Do it Better
Cost and Environmental Considerations
When selecting a van for your move, it’s important to balance cost-efficiency with environmental responsibility. Larger vans, though more spacious, consume more fuel and emit more carbon. Conversely, smaller vans, while less impactful on the environment, might require multiple trips, potentially increasing the overall cost and carbon footprint.
We’ll guide you in choosing a van that not only fits your budget but also aligns with your ecological values. This includes discussing fuel efficiency, emissions, and the potential benefits of choosing newer models with better environmental performance.
Moving Van FAQs
The size of the moving van you need depends on the volume of items you plan to move. As a general guideline, a small van is suitable for a studio or 1-bedroom apartment, a medium van for a 2-bedroom apartment, and a large van for a 3-bedroom house or larger. We offer a variety of van sizes and can help you estimate the best option based on a detailed list of your belongings. Our team is also on hand to assess your items and recommend the best van option for efficient and safe transport
We recommend booking a moving van at least 4 weeks in advance, especially during peak moving seasons (summer, weekends, end-of-month). This ensures you have the best selection of vans and scheduling options. Last-minute bookings are also welcome but are subject to availability, so it’s always best to plan ahead.
Yes, for safety and legal reasons, certain items cannot be transported in our moving vans. These include hazardous materials (e.g., paint, chemicals, explosives), perishable foods, plants, and pets. Please refer to our terms and conditions for a complete list of items we cannot move.
Yes, we offer a range of liability cover options to protect your belongings during transit. Our standard liability cover provides protection against damage and loss up to a certain value as per our terms and conditions, with the option to extend the liability cover for high-value items. We also recommend reviewing your personal insurance policies as well to ensure comprehensive protection.
Yes, we specialise in managing long-distance moves with the same level of expertise and care as our local moves. We understand that long-distance relocations come with their own set of challenges, from coordinating logistics to ensuring the safe transport of your belongings over great distances. Our experienced team is equipped to handle every aspect of your long-distance move, from initial planning and packing to transportation and delivery.
We utilise a fleet of well-maintained, reliable vehicles designed to transport your items safely across the country. Our planning team works closely with you to create a customised moving plan that meets your specific needs and timeline, ensuring a smooth and efficient move. With our comprehensive tracking and communication system, you’ll be kept informed every step of the way, giving you peace of mind that your belongings are in good hands.
Whether you’re moving to the surrounding London area or across the country, we’re here to make your long-distance move as stress-free as possible. Please reach out to us for more details on how we can assist with your long-distance relocation.
Ensuring the safety and security of your fragile and valuable items during a move is a top priority for us. To achieve this, we employ a variety of specialised measures. High-quality, specialised packing materials such as bubble wrap, packing paper, and sturdy boxes are utilised to provide maximum protection.
For particularly valuable or delicate items, such as artwork or antiques, we offer custom crating solutions that are built to the exact dimensions of your item, ensuring a snug and secure fit during transit. Our team is trained in advanced packing techniques to ensure that fragile items are securely packed and cushioned against any shocks and vibrations that may occur. We carefully inventory and label each fragile or valuable item, allowing for precise tracking and handling throughout the move. When loading these items into the moving van, we do so strategically to minimise movement and the risk of damage, using straps and padding to keep items securely in place.
Additionally, we offer various levels of liability cover to provide financial protection against the unlikely event of damage, giving you peace of mind that your valuables are protected from start to finish. We understand the importance of these items and are committed to delivering them safely to their new destination, and we encourage you to discuss any specific concerns or requirements you may have regarding the transportation of your valuable belongings.
Absolutely! We understand that moving is more than just transporting items from one place to another; it’s about settling into your new space as smoothly and quickly as possible. That’s why we offer professional unpacking services to help you get settled into your new home or office. Our team can assist with unpacking your belongings, assembling furniture, and arranging items according to your instructions. This service is designed to make your move as stress-free and efficient as possible, allowing you to enjoy your new space right away. Please contact us for more details on our unpacking services and how we can tailor them to meet your needs.