FAQ
Got questions about hiring a van?
Find answers to some of our most common queries below...
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Unfortunately we can no longer allow animals in our vehicles without prior approval.
Due to the potential risk of a subsequent hirer having an allergy to pet hair we cannot risk allowing dog/pets into our vehicles.
In some cases we will allow it (by prior written/email agreement only) - but this may incur additional cleaning/repair costs depending on the condition of the vehicle when returned.
Since the UK left the EU, taking a hire vehicle to Europe is more complex and we are currently unable to offer any vehicles to hire for travel to Europe.
If you need to extend your hire you'll need to call us as soon as you are aware you'll need the van for a longer period than originally booked!
In most cases we are able and happy to do this, hire extensions are charged at the standard daily rate and we will need to take the additional payment over the phone to extend the hire. (Don't forget this applies to extra costs such as excess waiver and additional drivers too!)
In cases where we are unable to extend the hire (e.g. if another customer has the vehicle reserved) we may be able to offer you an alternative vehicle (subject to availability), or we may ask you to return the vehicle at the original due-back date.
We cannot hire out any vans travelling to Ukraine or any neighboring countries even for charity or humanitarian reasons.
Due to the ongoing conflict we are unable to insure our vehicles for travel to Ukraine or any neighbouring country.
Vehicle hire to other parts of Europe is also no longer possible.
Some customers have asked if they can self-insure the vehicle. Unfortunately we are unable to put any of our vehicles at risk as we will not be able to replace them in the short term.
Great news, the minimum age to hire a van from VansGB is only 21 - the maximum is 70! (Minibus minimum age is 30!)
A few points to consider:
- If you are 25 or under, you must have held your driving licence for at least two years, if you're over 25 then you must have held a full driving licence for a minimum period of 12 months.
- 21 – 25 year olds will be subject to specific insurance terms and must have held a Full licence for at least two years.
- Drivers must be over 25 to hire Minibuses and 7.5t vehicles and will also require the correct driving licence entitlement.
Please contact us if you need further help.
The licence sharing code from the DVLA is required by us so that we can check your licence for any endorsements.
Getting one is easy and can be done online in a few minutes. View our 'how to' guide here...
If you still have problems, then we can help you generate your code when you pick up your vehicle. In order for us to do this you must bring your National Insurance number, and allow extra time to generate the code and for us to perform our checks.
If you are collecting your vehicle over a weekend, it is important that we are able to check your licence prior to collection as in the event of any issues, although the DVLA helpline is open at weekends the wait times can be lengthy, so better to ensure your code is obtained in advance.
In order to be able to hire one of our vehicles we must be able to do a full licence check with the DVLA. We can only perform this check on UK driving licences. If we are unable to perform this check we are unable to hire a vehicle to you.
Larger national chains can sometimes hire to international licence holders.
Past driving disqualifications can impact your ability to hire.
Please call us before hiring and we can check your eligibility
In most circumstances, you can hire if you have some points but there are criteria to meet:
21-22 years old - must be free of conviction (zero points)
23-24 years old - are permitted one minor conviction (3 points) for the entirety of their licence. Provided licence has been held for more than two years.
25+ years old - no more than 8 points and be for minor offences
In some cases certain convictions may fall into these criteria but you will still be unable to hire. Please contact us if you are aware of any potential issues before hiring.
Our sister company WAVSGB are specialists in wheelchair adapted vehilces.
Visit their website here WavsGB.com
Hiring a minibus is a little different to hiring a van but there are two small, but important, differences.
If you can answer yes to the below questions then you can hire a minibus from us. If you are not sure please contact us and we'll be happy to help.
1: Are you 25 or over?
For insurance purposes Minibus drivers must be 25 or over at the time of hire.
2: Do you have a D1 entitlement on your driving licence?
In order to drive a passenger vehicle with 12 or more seats you must have the D1 entitlement marked on your driving licence
If you are hiring a minibus with fewer than 12 seats then you DO NOT need the D1
You've come to the right place... Hiring vans is our speciality!
Click here to go to our van hire page
Take a look at our van size guide, it will help you select the right size van for the most common uses, or give us a call on 01225 470101, and we'll try to help you find the right size van!
We charge a standard deposit payment of £250*
The deposit is payable at time of booking or within 7 days of hire whichever is sooner.
Refunds are processed the next working day after the vehicle has been returned. We no longer store payment details so you must call the office after midday with your payment card to claim your deposit. The deposit must be refunded back to the same card as the payment was taken on and depending on your bank the refund can take up to three working days to be credited back to your account.
If the vehicle has not been refuelled, or there is damage - these costs may be taken from your deposit, but we will notify you in advance.
Please note: We physically take the deposit payment (it is not held in a pre-payment 'bubble') therefore you must have available funds in your account.
*For some drivers the deposit payment may be higher in order to get insurance approval. This will be requested by our insurance company and is out of our control.
Yes. We have a mileage limit of 300 miles per day of hire.
On multi-day hires you are allocated 300 miles per day, but the mileage is averaged out over the entire hire period.
For example if you hire for two days, you are entitled to 600 miles total, if you drive 400 miles one day but only 150 the next you are within the limit of 600 miles.
Any mileage over the limit is charged at £0.20 per mile*.
If you need the van for a long journey and think you are going to exceed the mileage limit please tell us at time of booking.
*Correct at time of publishing: April 2025
Generally as long as the item is not above the vehicle weight limit and it fits in the back safely then you can carry it... however there are some exceptions!
The following items may not be transported in any of our vehicles:
- Fruit Machines
- Gambling devices/machines
- Animals & Livestock
- People - you may not carry any passengers in the rear of a van
If you are in any doubt call us before you hire.
In order to hire a vehicle, you must provide us with:
1: Your driving licence
2: Your national Insurance number or a driving licence share code
3: An additional form of address ID.
(must be either utility bill, bank statement or council tax letter)
You can email us your paperwork in advance of your hire by replying to your booking confirmation email.
Or you can upload your documents here
When you hire a vehicle from VansGB we need to check your driving licence for any additional information and endorsements, as the paper counterpart part of your licence was abolished in 2015, the information is now kept online and can only be accessed with your permission.
In order for us to access this information you must give us a share code from the DVLA.
Getting one is easy - find out more here
The excess is the amount you have to pay us if the vehicle is damaged or stolen.
The excess waiver insurance is an option that if paid, protects you against having to pay the excess charge if there is an incident.
Example:
Let's say you hire a van and are involved in a minor accident.
Without Excess waiver insurance - you would have to pay up to £2000* when you return the vehicle.
With Excess waiver insurance - you would only have to pay up to £500* when you return the vehicle.
Excess waiver insurance is optional, and is charged for each day of your hire, but you must think carefully before deciding.
*These amounts are subject to change, subject to status and dependent on vehicle hired.
Our cancellation policy varies depnding on the vehicle you hire and the amount of time between the hire date and the cancellation.
Please see our cancellation policy
Our standard hire period runs from 8am to 8am the following day.
Vans must be collected between 8am - 10am unless a later pick up time is agreed at the time of booking.
Please note even if collecting at 10am your hire period will still end at 8am the following day. Hire periods are set so we can plan when our vans are available for the next customer.
Saturday collection is strictly between 8am - 10am - the hire office will be closed outside of these times.
Unless with prior approval all vehicles are due back by 8am the following day
Ask a question?
If you can't find the answer to your question - please get in touch with us.