Van Finance by Trade
The van you need and the way the deal is best structured both depend on what your business actually does. Find your trade below, or call us and tell us what you do.
Most van finance pages treat every business the same. In practice the trade changes quite a lot: which vehicle is worth buying, how long it is sensible to finance it over, and which structure leaves you better off. Pick your trade below for the detail, or call us on 01730 777 736 and tell us what you do.
Couriers and delivery drivers
High mileage changes what is worth buying, and makes hire purchase a better fit than contract hire because there is no mileage penalty.
View Trade GuideElectricians
Mid-size vans with racking and internal fit-out, which can push the invoice above the vehicle's book value.
View Trade GuideBuilders and construction
Tippers, dropsides and crew cabs, bought by businesses whose income arrives in project-sized lumps rather than evenly.
Removals and man-and-van
Luton vans with tail lifts, higher ticket values, and vehicles often working right at the 3.5 tonne limit.
Plumbers and heating engineers
Small and mid-size vans, bought by businesses where a day off the road on an emergency callout costs real money.
Landscapers and gardeners
Tippers and towing capacity, with income that thins out over the winter months.
Scaffolders
Flatbeds and dropsides, where payload is the binding constraint on which vehicle will actually do the job.
Tree surgeons and arborists
Tippers towing chippers, worked hard, and often seasonal in the same way as landscaping.
Window cleaners
Payload governs everything once a full water tank is on board, which rules out more vans than people expect.
Mobile caterers and food businesses
The conversion is frequently worth more than the base vehicle, which is where the valuation conversation starts.
Trade not listed? We finance vans for businesses of every kind. Call us on 01730 777 736 and tell us what you do.
What changes by trade
The vehicle is the obvious one. A scaffolder and a window cleaner are both constrained by payload, but for different reasons and at different weights. A courier wants the newest, lowest mileage van the budget allows, because it has to survive 140,000 miles over a four year agreement. A mobile caterer is buying a conversion where the fit-out is worth more than the van.
The term is the second. The older and higher mileage a vehicle is when you buy it, the shorter the term a lender will agree and the larger the deposit they will want, because they are lending against an asset with less life left in it. Matching the term to how long the van will realistically last in your line of work matters more than squeezing the monthly payment down.
The third is how the business reads on paper. Seasonal trades look quiet on bank statements for part of the year. Construction subcontractors and couriers often have income concentrated with a small number of payers. None of that prevents finance, but it is worth explaining rather than leaving an underwriter to interpret it.
What we can arrange that a dealer cannot
Whatever your trade, these are usually worth more than a small difference in rate.
VAT deferral
On qualifying agreements the lender pays the dealer the full price including the VAT, then collects the VAT element from your business as a single payment after an agreed period, usually around three months, giving you time to reclaim it from HMRC first. There is no charge for the facility.
Little or no deposit
Dealers commonly ask for 10 to 20 per cent down. For a VAT-registered limited company with a reasonable credit profile buying at a sensible market price, no deposit at all is a normal outcome with us.
A credit facility for vehicles you have not bought yet
Alongside the van you need today, we can often arrange an agreed credit limit that stays in place for the coming months, sometimes £50,000 or £100,000 depending on the business. If you take on a contract or another operative in three or six months, the funding is already agreed.
Specialist business finance advice
A dealer's finance desk sells a finance product. Buying through the business changes the position considerably, and we will structure the agreement to suit how your business is set up. Your accountant has the final word on tax.
Limited companies can borrow from £10,000. Sole traders from £25,000, on unregulated credit agreements.
Frequently asked questions
Apply for van finance today
Complete the form below and a specialist will be in touch, usually within one business day.
If you'd prefer to call: 01730 777 736