Hiring a van is the practical choice for dozens of everyday jobs — moving house, clearing the loft, picking up furniture, delivering stock, or transporting equipment. But with several different sizes available, it’s worth taking a few minutes to match the van to the job before you book. Too small and you’re making extra trips; too large and you’re paying for space you don’t need (and possibly driving something bigger than necessary on narrow Sussex roads).
Here’s a straightforward guide to every van type available from Parkers, what fits inside each one, and when you’d choose it.
Small Van (Car Derived) — The Vauxhall Combo and similar
The small van is the most car-like option in the fleet — easy to drive, easy to park, and perfectly suited to lighter loads. With a payload of 600 kg, it handles everyday jobs comfortably without feeling like you’re driving something commercial.
What fits: A couple of flat-pack shelving units, a single piece of furniture, a full load of boxes for a small flat move, market or event stock, tools and equipment for a day’s work on site. Think of it as a large estate car without the rear seats — it’s surprisingly practical for its size.
Good for: Moving a studio flat, eBay collections, airport runs with extra luggage, small business deliveries, trips to the tip that won’t fit in a car boot.
Not ideal for: Sofas, wardrobes, white goods, or anything requiring significant load height.
View the Small Van (Group V2) →
Short Wheelbase Van — The VW Transporter and similar
A step up in capacity, the short wheelbase van offers a load area of 2.58 m long, 1.39 m wide and 1.4 m high, with a payload of 900 kg. It’s a versatile mid-size option that handles a wider range of jobs than the small van while remaining easy to manoeuvre.
What fits: Flat-pack furniture for two or three rooms, a mountain bike or two, gardening equipment, several large storage boxes, a small sofa, or a mix of bags and boxed goods for a one-bedroom move.
Good for: One-bedroom flat moves, collection from IKEA or similar, equipment hire collections, regular business deliveries, garden clearances.
Worth noting: At 1.4 m of load height, this van won’t accommodate items taller than that — it’s worth measuring anything unusually tall before booking.
View the Short Wheelbase Van (Group V3) →
Medium Wheelbase Van — The Ford Transit and similar
The medium wheelbase Transit is the most popular choice in the range, and it’s easy to see why. With a load area of 3.4 m long, 1.4 m wide and 2.0 m high, and a payload of 1,100 kg, it’s the genuine all-rounder — capable enough for a full house move, manageable enough for everyday driving.
What fits: A double bed and frame, a three-seat sofa, white goods such as a washing machine or fridge-freezer, dining table and chairs, wardrobes, and a good number of boxes alongside. Most two-bedroom flat moves can be done in one trip in a medium wheelbase van.
Good for: Two-bedroom home moves, larger clearances, furniture deliveries, business stock runs, renovation materials.
The height advantage: At 2.0 m of internal height, you can stand up comfortably inside to load, making it much easier to stack boxes efficiently and maximise the space.
View the Medium Wheelbase Van (Group V4) →
Long Wheelbase Van — The Mercedes Sprinter and similar
When the medium wheelbase van isn’t quite enough, the long wheelbase Sprinter steps in. With a load area of 4.3 m long, 1.78 m wide and 2.1 m high, and a payload of 1,050 kg, it’s the largest standard panel van in the range — ideal when you need to do the job in a single trip.
What fits: Everything a medium van carries, plus more floor space for longer items — lengths of timber, a full king-size bed and mattress, larger appliances, or simply more boxes. The 1.78 m width also makes it noticeably easier to fit bulky furniture side by side.
Good for: Three-bedroom home moves, larger business deliveries, transporting long or awkwardly shaped items, trade and contractor use.
Worth knowing: The Sprinter is a larger vehicle than most people are used to driving, particularly in width. It’s perfectly manageable on main roads and A-roads, but worth bearing in mind for tight town centre streets or narrow rural lanes in Sussex.
View the Long Wheelbase Van (Group V6) →
Luton Van with Tail Lift — The Mercedes Luton and similar
The Luton is the biggest enclosed van in the fleet, with a box-shaped load area sitting above the cab — giving it a load area of 4.0 m long, 2.0 m wide and 2.2 m high, and an impressive payload of 1,300 kg. Add the powered tail lift at the rear and it becomes the go-to choice whenever you need to move heavy or bulky items without having to lift them from ground level.
What fits: An entire household’s worth of furniture and boxes — the Luton is regularly used for three and four-bedroom house moves. The wide load floor (2.0 m) and generous height mean you can fit large items that would otherwise need to be awkwardly angled, and the tail lift removes the hardest part of loading entirely.
Good for: Large home moves, moving heavy gym equipment, transporting antiques or fragile large items, clearing large properties, any job where lifting heavy items from the ground would be a problem.
The tail lift explained: The tail lift is a powered platform at the rear of the van. You load heavy items onto it at ground level, then raise it electrically to the height of the van floor. It takes most of the physical effort out of loading — particularly useful for washing machines, sofas, heavy boxes, and anything with awkward weight distribution.
View the Luton Van with Tail Lift (Group V7) →
Low Loader — The Renault Low Loader and similar
The low loader is a less well-known option but an extremely useful one for the right job. With a load area of 4.1 m long, 1.7 m wide and 2.2 m high, it offers similar capacity to the Luton — but the key difference is that the floor of the load area sits much closer to the ground.
What fits: The same kind of loads as the Luton — large furniture, boxes, bulky equipment — but the lower floor makes rolling or sliding items in far easier without needing a tail lift. It’s particularly well suited to heavy items on wheels (fridge on a sack truck, for example) or anything that can be rolled straight in from a low kerb or loading bay.
Good for: Large moves where a tail lift isn’t available or needed, loading from low docks or loading bays, items that roll or slide easily, trade collections from builders’ merchants or warehouses.
Choosing between the Luton and the Low Loader: If you’re moving heavy items from a house with no loading bay, the Luton with tail lift is usually the easier choice. If you’re collecting from a warehouse or loading dock where the floor height matches, or if your load rolls easily, the low loader often makes more sense.
View the Low Loader (Group V8) →
Quick Reference: Van Sizes at a Glance
| Van Type | Load Length | Load Width | Load Height | Payload | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Van (V2) | — | — | — | 600 kg | Small loads, studio flats, deliveries |
| Short Wheelbase (V3) | 2.58 m | 1.39 m | 1.4 m | 900 kg | 1-bed flat moves, equipment, bikes |
| Medium Wheelbase (V4) | 3.4 m | 1.4 m | 2.0 m | 1,100 kg | 2-bed moves, white goods, general use |
| Long Wheelbase (V6) | 4.3 m | 1.78 m | 2.1 m | 1,050 kg | 3-bed moves, long items, trade use |
| Luton with Tail Lift (V7) | 4.0 m | 2.0 m | 2.2 m | 1,300 kg | Large moves, heavy items, full households |
| Low Loader (V8) | 4.1 m | 1.7 m | 2.2 m | — | Large moves, dock loading, rolling loads |
Still Not Sure? We Can Help
If you’re unsure which van is right for your job, just give the team at Parkers a call on 01444 413 672 — we’re happy to talk through what you’re moving and point you in the right direction. We’d much rather help you get the right van first time than have you arrive and find you’ve underestimated the load.
All our vans are available from our branches in Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath, and every hire includes fully comprehensive insurance, unlimited mileage, and breakdown recovery as standard — no hidden extras.
