The best vans for plumbers

For most, a medium van set up properly does the job nicely.

Storage is actually the thing that saves you money. A plumber can carry hundreds of small fittings and the day you do not have the right elbow or valve on the van is the day you lose an hour driving back to the merchant! Good racking is not a nice-to-have, it is time back in your pocket.

What to look for

• Any storage for small parts. Racking, drawers and bins can turn your van into proper mobile storage, so you can find the right fitting for the first time.

• The right size for the work. A medium van suits most plumbers, with room for materials and tools without being difficult to park.

• Estimate payload for boilers and bulky items. A combi boiler is not heavy on its own, but add in a bathroom suite, a few radiators and a couple of bags of tools and it soon adds up.

• A load area that copes with wet and mess. Ply lining and a tough floor can take the wet kit, the offcuts and the occasional spill in their stride.

Van types that suit the work

A medium panel van is the natural home for most plumbing and heating work. A small van works well for service and maintenance rounds with lighter kit. And a large van suits anyone carrying more stock, doing full bathroom installs, or running a busier operation with more than one job's worth of parts on board.

Buying tips

Look at how the load area is set up and check whether any racking is included, since it saves you fitting it yourself. Check the floor and lining carefully too and choose the size around your heaviest jobs, so a boiler swap never means a second trip.

On Vangoo's platform the condition is shown upfront on every van, so you can pick one that is ready to go for your workload.