In 2013, 611 vans were registered for every 1000 residents in the town, compared to 68 per 1000 nationally. The large number of van registrations may be due to Darlington being home to a number of engineering firms as well as a major retailer’s largest warehouse distribution centre. This is followed by Slough (370 vans per 1000 people) and Swindon (204 vans per 1000 people) in third place.
DL4B’s analysis reveals that vans made up 10% of all vehicles registered in 2013, and there has been a 3% increase in new vans between 2012 and 2013 and a 5% increase in the last five years. Despite this modest rise across Britain, regionally there are examples of significant increases. In Coventry, van registrations almost tripled (+293%) in 2013, Peterborough saw a 90% increase and Bristol 13%.
Additional DL4B research amongst van drivers highlights that those who haggled on the price of a van, saved on average £1,210 with one in ten buyers saved over £3,000.
DL4B also found that older van drivers are more likely to negotiate than younger drivers with half (54% ) of 35 to 54 year olds saying they haggled when buying their van compared to just a quarter (24%) of 18 to 34s.
Commenting on the findings, Jasvinder Gakhal, head of Direct Line for Business, said: ‘Vans are the lifeblood of Britain’s streets, but can be a huge investment for many small businesses. With this in mind small business owners should think about protecting their asset.
‘As there continue to be more vans on the roads, van drivers should ensure that their vehicles are correctly insured to cover all eventualities. For example, they can get around a business interruption that could result from a breakdown with as replacement vehicle cover.’