Van Hire Restrictions by Company

Below is a quick lookup guide to give you an idea of the differences between each van hire company's restrictions as to who they allow to drive, and what limitations they may apply to a rental such as mileage restrictions, driving licence point limits, taking the van abroad. Or young driver restrictions (generally if your over 21 you can hire a van).
Hint: Most vans are category B and can be driven on a standard UK licence

Provided for information only as of October 2009

Important: Whilst we do make our best efforts to ensure that this information is up to date, we cannot guarantee that it is completly accurate as van rental companies often make small changes to their rental terms. Always checks with the company you are booking with, as to any specifics, you should find all the information you require on their website.

Rental Company	Driving Licence Requirements	Mileage Allowed	Minimum Age	Maximum Age	Can Drive Abroad	One Way Van Hire
EasyVan	Minimum full UK licence held for at least 1 year. No more than 5 points and no UT, IN, DD/DR endorsments no more than one disqualification period.	Unlimited	21 to 25 (depending on location and van size). Under 23 requires additional fee.	75	Not Allowed	Not Available
Thrifty Van Hire	Minimum full UK licence held for at least 1 year (longer for some vehicle types). Prior approval must be given if you have any endorsments, or accidents in the last 3 years	Unlimited	25 (may rent smaller vehicles to 21 to 24 year olds, under certain conditions). Won't rent to students.	70 (may rent to 75 but with medical confirmation)	Prior permission required unlikely to be granted.	Not Available
National Van Hire	Full Uk driver's licence held for at least two years, with no endorsments - some maybe allowed.	Unlimited	25 (some vehicle types available to 21 year olds, with surcharge)	70 - 75 Depending on location	Yes, for some vehicle types, for some EU countries, for an additional charge.	Available
Sixt Van Hire	Full UK driver's licence held for at least two years with no more than six penalty points.	Unlimited	21 (some types of van are only available for 25 years old).	75	Yes for some countries, with prior arrangment and a 60% surcharge.	Available on some van types, with surcharge

General Guidance

Again these notes are provided as general guidance, and you must check first as to the actual requirements with the company you book with.

Collecting your hire van:

If you have a photocard licence you will need to bring along the paper part, when collecting your hire van, as it will need to be checked for any endorsments.
You will need to bring along a credit card with suficent remaining credit for a deposit (or make alternative arrangments with the rental depot to provide a deposit). Deposits are normally in the region of £200 to £400.
At least two forms of ID will be required, a passport and photocard driver's licence is normally sufficent and you may need to provide some proof of address in the form of a recent utility bill in your name. You should be informed as to the requirements when booking.
When you collect your hire van, remember to check it for any damage, scratches, or other problems etc. And make sure that any problems you find are properly recorded otherwise you may find yourself liable for any unreported damage
Check how much fuel is provided with your van, and what you need to return it with. Normally a full tank of fuel is provided and you should return it with the same amount, otherwise you will be charged a higher rate for any fuel used

Additional Considerations:

Remember you are driving a van, and not a car, drive safely. Have a look in our guides section for more advice but generally remember to allow extra stopping distance, avoid tight corners, and secure your load well.
Most vans are diesel, make sure you put the right fuel in!
Check just how much you load your van with, although they can carry a lot all vans have varying payload limitations some from a few hundred kilograms through to a few thousand kilograms. Don't overload your van as it will be both dangerous and illegal. The maximum gross weight of a laden van is 3.5 tonnes, so larger vans such as Luton vans may actually have lower payloads than smaller MWB vans such as the Ford Transit.
If you want to carry larger objects you will need to rent a 7.5tonne truck (Note: Our price comparison search currently doesn't support trucks) and you will need a C1 entitlment on your driver's licence to do so. If you took your car driving licence exam before 01 Jan 1997, you probably already have C1 entitlement, otherwise you will need to take a separate category C1 test.